


White fur and golden feathers

by Kittykaiba



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Animal Transformation, Curse Breaking, From Zero to Hero, Ladyhawk-crossover, M/M, Magic, This is not only a shipping story, alternative universe, in fact it´s a Ryou appreciation party, medieval setting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2020-01-22
Packaged: 2021-01-22 10:41:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 34,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21300713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kittykaiba/pseuds/Kittykaiba
Summary: "I had a vision about a big silver-white wolf and a golden falcon. A thief during the day and a beautiful prince wandering the night."Ryou is a mage. A quite pitiful one. After he drags the wrath of the landlord against him he's about to die by the swords of the soldiers. In the last moment he's saved by a well known criminal and his companion, a beautiful golden falcon.When he decides to accompany his rather impolite saviour he soon finds himself entangled in a story of dark secrets and a love story overshadowed by an evil curse.Will he find the strength to break the curse, to fight the evil behind it and become the mage he's destined to be?
Relationships: Citronshipping - Relationship, Malik Ishtar/Thief King Bakura, Thief King Bakura/Marik Ishtar, Thiefshipping - Relationship
Comments: 47
Kudos: 24





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This whole story took me a while, but I´m so glad I managed to finish it.  
It was indeed planned as a simple shipping story, but somehow it developed on it´s own and got a lot bigger than actually planned.  
Also: Let´s face it, Ryou is amazing and deserves to be praised. So here we go!  
I hope you all enjoy it. 
> 
> A biiiiiig THANK YOU goes to [mouthfulofbees](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dog_fish/pseuds/mouthfulofbees) for editing the story and talking with me about it all the months.
> 
> And also a big Thanks to one of my best friends and his beautiful papercuts: [Marco](https://crap-cut.tumblr.com/)

**Chapter 1**

_A storm was raging outside the cabin. The wind was howling and the rain pelted against the window of the small cottage. The inside of the cabin was lit with a lot of candles a small fireplace spending some warmth, a teakettle hanging over it. _

_The girl_ _sitting on a bench looked out of the window with a frown. Her pale, long hair was beautifully lit from multiple directions, giving her an otherworldly look._

_She was the apprentice of the man the people in the village just called “The White Mage”._

_He was a great magician and healer, eyes a piercing green and his hair, white as snow, fell past his shoulders. Magic came almost naturally to the girl, that’s what he saw instantly as he met her in the village a year ago. She was orphaned and had nowhere to go, which is why he decided to take her under his wing and look out for her._

_The White Mage sat on his desk, reading old scrolls and thinking about a new spell as a deep sigh caught his attention. He looked up from the papers in front of him to gaze at his apprentice with a small smile. _

“_Kisara? Is everything alright? You look kinda... upset.”_

_The pale-haired girl was startled to hear her name after everything being quiet for hours except of the storm and she whirled around, answering with an uncertain voice. “No... I'm... It's just that I thought... Now that it's raining so much there’s no way I can make my way to_ _the village today.”_

_The Mage cocked his head slightly, looking curious now but giving her one of his warm smiles, “Haven't you been to the village just yesterday?”_

_Kisara bit her lip and the Mage could have sworn he saw a faint blush on her cheeks in the dim light as she obviously tried to search for an answer._

“_It is about that priest you met right?”_

_The statement took her off guard and the blush was now very prominent on her cheeks. She really wanted to tell him that what he said wasn't true and that it was totally something else that draw her the way into the village almost every day the last few_ _weeks. But she knew her master and his perception better to know it was futile to came up with a weak excuse and she sighed again and walked over to the still smiling man at the desk and took a seat next to him._

“_Is it that obvious?”, she asked, looking at him with wide eyes._

_The Mage chuckled. “At least for someone who knows you well enough. So tell me, Kisara, what is it with the both of you? Does he feel the same way?”_

_Kisara shook her head, her expression growing sad, “I don't know. I think so, but there’s no way we could ever... you know... be together. I mean... he's a priest at the court and I'm... just me.”_

_The Mage's warm smile didn't falter as he leaned an arm against her shoulder and answered, “What's wrong with being you? Also, if you truly love each other it doesn't matter where he or you is coming from. Those kind of boundaries shouldn't matter if it's about love.”_

_Kisara raised an eyebrow at him and a little smirk lit up her features. “So you are an expert about these things?”_

_The Mage crossed his arms and leaned back with a grin. “Kind of. I know more about the things love can overcome than you'd might think.”_

“_Sure.” Kisara chuckled a bit and looked in the direction of the window again._

_Before sadness could steal over her expression again, the Mage made a decision and shoved his roll to the side. He stood up to get two pots of tea from the teakettle hanging over the fireplace. He took a seat again pouring her a cup of tea and shoving it in her direction. Then he started talking again,”I want to tell you a story, Kisara. A story about true love and how it was able to overcome a curse and the greatest evil.”_

_Kisara took her cup with the hot beverage and shivered because of the warmth spreading through her hands. She gave the Mage a confirming nod to signal she was willing to listen while she sipped on her tea._

“_Once upon a time...”_

“_Oh, really?” She interrupted him and rolled her eyes._

“_Yes really! It's MY story and I start it as I want.” He stated with a wide grin and continued, “So, once upon a time, there was a young mage...”_

The echo of hooves behind him grew louder and louder with every step he made. Ryou surely was fast enough to escape the men running behind him after he darted out of the town's gates, but he was well aware he would never be able to escape the soldiers on their horses.

He breathed hard and his eyes darted around while running as fast as he could. He should make it into the woods. There he at least would have the chance to hide from the soldiers, but though he could see the border of the forest in front of him it still seemed too far to reach. Closing his eyes for a moment to search in his brain for a spell that might save him, he dripped over a stone and fell. He'd almost gone head over heels during his fall and landed hard on his side. For a moment he felt dizzy and he propped himself up on his arms with clenched teeth.

Ryou didn't even have the time to think about getting up again as the first set of hooves came to a halt and the soldiers started surrounding him. A sword was pressed to his chest as he tried to stand up, a fierce looking man grinning down from his horse and speaking to him in an arrogant manner.

“Did you really think you could escape us, witcher?”

Ryou frowned up under the white bangs that almost shaded his eyes as he gave his answer. “I'm not a witcher. I'm a spellcaster. A mage.”

The man on the horse, obviously the general, started laughing and the others followed his example. The general spoke to him in a sarcastic tone.

“Oh of course you are, oh great mage!” The point of his sword dug further into Ryou's chest, which made the young man crawl back a few centimeters to get some space between him and the intimidating weapon. But he just met the point of another sword at his back. It seemed escaping really was futile now.

“So what shall we do with a little witcher like you?” The general in front of him tapped his chin in mock thought as he spoke. “I guess normally we have to light a fire for you. Or maybe we should first test if you really are a witcher by drowning you in the river. But I don't think that's necessary. Witcher or not, you have spread enough chaos in town and you dared to curse our Lord's sheep. That's enough to sentence you to death.”

Ryou's eyes widened in panic.

“No! Please! I just wanted to help! I was asked to make their wool thicker but... well...”

He couldn't speak the sentence to it's end as the point of the sword was dragged from his chest up to his throat. Ryou swallowed thickly and started inwardly praying for a miracle to happen.

It wasn't that Ryou really was that religious and if he was honest he didn't actually believe in a godly miracle to help him. That's why he was quite startled as he heard the dark growling voice behind the general, who froze in an instant.

“Don't you think it's pathetic to threaten a guy, lying on the floor unarmed, with that big sword?”

Now it was the soldier that swallowed thickly as a sharp blade was pressed to his throat from behind.

“Who... who are you?” His arm that hold the sword was shaking slightly, and Ryou could feel the sword at his own throat lowering.

The other soldiers sat alert on their horses, but no one seemed eager to make a move as long as their general was being threatened in such a way. Ryou took a look behind the general to inspect the threatening figure. It was a man dressed in black clothes, his face also covered with a black scarf, but he wore a crimson red cape with a hood that covered his hair and he was sitting on a big, beautiful white stallion.

The grey eyes of the man lingered for a moment on Ryou's green ones before he drew his gaze back to the general, answering, “I am justice.”

With a swift movement he cut the general's throat with his sword. The other soldiers seemed shocked for a moment, as was Ryou, but then they screamed and, with their swords in hand, started to attack the man on the white horse.

His movements were fast and he dodged them seemingly effortlessly. One soldier after another fell from their horses after he struck them with his sword.

Ryou sat on the ground a few moments longer with his mouth open in utter shock before he realized he was surrounded by a bunch of warriors on horses. In an instant, he got to his feet and ran bit to bring enough distance between him and the others. He thought about running to the woods to escape from everyone as fast as he could, but he was somehow so fascinated by the man, his savior on the white horse, that he couldn't bring himself to leave him behind. So he just turned and watched from a safe distance.

It seemed that the stranger hadn't had any trouble overpowering the soldiers, not even killing them, but just knocking them out and off their horses. His skills were amazing. However, one moment he didn't pay enough attention and one of the soldiers pierced his blade into the flanks of the white stallion. The stranger let out an angry growl and immediately slashed at the soldier that hit his horse with his own sword and sent him lifeless to the ground.

After the soldiers either were unconscious or had fled back into the town. The stranger looked around to make sure there weren't any more of them coming and after that jumped down to inspect his wounded horse with narrowed eyes. The stallion’s white flank was soaked in a deep red, the blood pouring from a deep gaping wound stood out brightly against the horses bright white fur.

Ryou stood a moment, uncertain of what to do now. With a deep breath he gathered his courage and approached the man.

“Thank you. You saved my life,” Ryou said with a polite bow.

The man in front of him just grunted and didn't look away from the bleeding wound on the horses white fur.

Ryou's gaze wandered over it too and he came closer to have a proper look at it. He ignored the suspicious gaze of the still masked man next to him as he examined the wound. “I think I can do something to help him. I just need some plants.”

“ We don't need your help. Go and look for a safe place were the soldiers can't find you again.” The other’s harsh voice made Ryou flinch. The man took the reins and started walking in direction of the forest.

Ryou blinked at him a moment but, stubborn as he was, he decided to not let him go that easily.

“No! You saved my life! I owe you something and I will not leave your side as long as I haven't paid that duty. So please allow me to accompany you and I will make sure your horse is healing properly.”

The stranger shook his head without even bothering to stop walking. “No. I told you, we don't need your help. And you owe me nothing. It's okay. I don't like the soldiers of the court anyway.”

But Ryou didn't stop walking next to him and the horse and examined the wound again.

“The wound is deep and he if loses a lot of blood, it's likely that he will get an infection from a wound like this if it's not treated right. You can trust me, I'm a healer. I really can help you. Please.”

With a sigh the stranger stopped and looked into Ryou's eyes a few moments. His hand twitched over the sword and Ryou wondered if the man considered to just hit him unconscious to get rid of him. The horse needed some right treatment and the stranger probably couldn't afford to lose it. And also Ryou didn't seem to give up on his efforts anytime soon, so the man just growled his answer. “Fine. But you don't pull any shit or tell anyone about us. If you think you can fool me somehow...”, the sentenced was ended with the sword pressed to Ryou's throat.

Ryou just nodded.

“Alright. Let's go.” The stranger dropped his sword and started walking again. Ryou followed and appeared next to him with a warm smile.

“My name is Ryou.”

The other just gave an unimpressed grunt as a response, but the horse wickered and shoved the man playfully, what made him shake his head at the cheeky animal and he rolled his eyes. With one hand he took the black scarf from his face and turned down his red hood, revealing his features to Ryou the first time. Silver-white, shoulder-length hair framed his face and a scar decorated the skin beneath his left eye.

“Bakura”.

Ryou needed a moment to process what the man said to him and what it meant. Then he smiled again. “Nice to meet you, Bakura.”

Another grunt was his answer. Bakura dragged his gaze up to the sky, searching for something for a moment, and then put his fingers in his mouth to whistle loudly.

Ryou watched him, irritated, a moment and then with widening eyes spotted the golden falcon that darted down and landed on Bakura's arm just a few moments later.

The plumage of the raptorial bird was drowned in a shimmering gold and his eyes were a unique lavender. Never in his life had Ryou seen such a falcon before.

For a few moments he could clearly see Bakura's expression changing to a much softer one the moment the beautiful bird landed on his arm. He gave the falcon a gentle stroke over the head while continuing his walk and without giving Ryou a look he said, “We shouldn't waste time to go to our hide-out in the woods before it gets dark.”

Ryou just nodded and they walked into the woods together.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Ryou meets a gentle giant and a beautiful stranger.

It took them awhile to get to the hideout Bakura had mentioned before. They walked next to the wounded horse without talking very much. From time to time, Ryou tried to start a conversation, but Bakura either answered in very short sentences, just gave a grunt, or ignored him completely.

The hideout was a cabin deep in the woods and not easy to find for someone who didn't know where to seek.

To Ryou's surprise a tall, intimidating, bald-headed guy came out of the cabin and greeted them with a stoic expression the moment they arrived. With a frown he looked at the gaping, still bleeding wound on the stallions flank and reached out for the falcon on Bakura's arm. The bird switched to his arm and he gave him a few gentle strokes while Bakura unsaddled the horse.

“What happened? Did you get into trouble?” The man's stoic expression didn't falter even as he observed the new face in front of him.

“Nothing to bother about. But Dia needs some medical treatment. Here!” Bakura pulled Ryou forward by his arm and shoved him directly in front of the big man. “This is Ryou. He claims to be a healer. Take him into the woods and make sure he gets the plants he needs to help Diabound heal. That's what he promised.”

Ryou felt incredibly small in front of the big man eyeing him suspiciously, but gave him a shaky smile. “Hello, my name is Ryou.” The bald-headed guy just gazed down at him, unimpressed, but, to Ryou's surprise, answered nonetheless.

“I'm Rishid. I hope you already know what you need, we don't have that much time until sunset.”

Bakura carried his bags and the saddle inside and the moment he came back the falcon flew back on his upraised arm.

Rishid gestured for Ryou to follow him and they set off to search for places where they could find the herbs Ryou needed. The big guy seemed to know a great amount about the forest and the plants growing in it and he also turned out to be much nicer than he looked. They talked a bit on their way about how Ryou came to be a healer and what his plan to heal Diabound's wound was, as Ryou now knew the horse’s name.

When they came back, Bakura had already lit a fire and prepared some food. There were two rabbits ready to be grilled over the fire and a pot with some vegetables and a few slices of bread.

The moment Ryou looked at all the food he realized how starved he was and instantly felt his mouth watering.

Bakura chuckled at his expression. “You get a proper dinner, after you do your job and treat Dia's wound.”

With a bright smile Ryou went into the cabin with his herbs in hand and started to make a tincture out of them. After he finished it, he went to the white stallion and first washed the gaping wound with a wet cloth, his touches soft in order to keep from hurting the animal. Cautiously he applied the tincture and murmured a healing spell. Ryou gave the horse some gentle strokes and assured him he would get well in a few days, before he turned to walk over to Rishid and Bakura, sitting at the fireplace. They had just begun eating and Bakura shoved a bowl of Ryou's own portion in his direction, which he gladly took and started eating immediately.

The falcon sat on a wooden pole the whole time and Ryou felt like the bird was observing each of his actions.

After they finished their dinner, Ryou got the feeling Bakura grew nervous somehow. Rishid had already disappeared into the cabin. The silver-haired man watched the setting sun between the trees with narrowed eyes and then turned to face Ryou.

“I will go. Your task is to stay at the fire and watch over Diabound for the first part of the night-watch. Rishid will take over the second part. Be careful, this forest can be more dangerous than you think.”

Ryou frowned at Bakura. “What do you mean, _you will go? _Where will you go and why do you leave us?”

Bakura's gaze didn't falter as he answered, “That is none of your business. Just make sure Diabound is alright.”

Bakura turned and walked straight into the forest. Without hesitation the falcon spread his wings and left his place on the wooden pole to follow the man with the red cape into the woods.

Ryou was confused about all of that, but couldn't find any more strength to deal with Bakura and his strange behavior. He would have enough time to ask his questions in the future.

With a deep sigh he sat down at the fireplace again, leaning against a wall with his gaze directed at the white horse. But the day had drained every bit of his energy and it didn't take long until Ryou fell into a deep exhausted sleep though his task of having the night-watch.

  
  


He must have slept at least three hours until a strange noise shook Ryou out of his dreams. After a few moments of confusion, his eyes started to dart around in panic.

With his breath catching in his throat he clearly made out the silhouette of a person between the shadows of the trees. Still in a panic, he grabbed the knife which lay next to him and raised it in the direction of the intruder with shaking hands.

“Stop! Who are you?” Though Ryou tried to gather his courage, his shaking voice clearly betrayed him and the next thing he heard was an amused chuckle.

The figure stepped out of the shadows and revealed himself as a young man with an amused smile on his face. Ryou almost gasped as he really saw the man who was approaching him. The light from the fire reflected beautifully in the golden hair surrounding the man’s face and his shining lavender eyes. It contrasted nicely with his cinnamon colored skin.

Ryou felt almost mesmerized for a moment and couldn't shake off the strange thought that he was reminded of the raptorial bird accompanying Bakura.

“Sleeping during your night-watch? You should really be more careful in these woods, you know.”

The commentary sounded more mocking than anything else, and the blonde man sat down next to Ryou, who was still staring at him with his jaw opened slightly. The man calmly reached over to lower the knife that Ryou had already forgotten was in his hands.

“Will you put that down, please?”

Ryou needed a moment to process what just happened. The man was dressed in a long, purple colored, hooded robe, though the hood was pulled back. Ryou was aware that a stranger approaching him in the middle of the night and coming out of the tree's shadows should be alarming, but there was something about the man that made Ryou think he'd met him before. He didn't appear to be dangerous. Maybe he seemed not exactly trustworthy or innocent, but not dangerous.

Ryou cleared his throat before he asked, “Excuse me, but who are you?”

Diabound seemed to had been woken from his slumber by the sound of their voices and started to wicker and chafe with one of his hooves.

The blonde man stood up with a smile and walked over to the white stallion, who actually seemed quite happy to see him.

“Hey Dia!” He gave the horse some soft strokes down his spine and rested his hand a few inches over the wound, eying it curiously. “This indeed looks nasty. But I think we should trust the treatment you received for now.”

He gave the chuffing animal a last stroke on its neck and turned around to walk back to Ryou.

Ryou watched, still confused, as the man sat down next to him again. The blond man propped himself against a tree, holding his hands up to the warmth of the fire in front of them with a smile.

“Seriously. It's really dangerous in these woods. You should really either try to stay awake or go inside the cabin to sleep if you don't want to get eaten by the wolves or killed by a thief. Or both. By the way, where is Rishid?”

Ryou blinked at him as if he had grown two heads and shook his head in confusion. “Thanks for the concern, I guess. I... think Rishid is asleep inside...” His eyes narrowed at the guy next to him as phrased his question from before again, “Who the hell are you?”

The man just grinned and winked at him. “A friend.”

“And how can I be sure of that?” Ryou asked, crossing his arms over his chest suspiciously.

The other raised a golden eyebrow at Ryou's display of distrust. “Did I try to kill you? Or to rob you? Or hurt Diabound?”

Ryou shifted insecurely. “No. You didn't.”

“See! And it would have been more than easy to kill you, Sleeping Beauty.” His grin only got wider and Ryou knew the guy was trying to fluster him.

Ryou's frown was replaced with a defiant smirk. “So, you think I'm beautiful?”

He’d actually intended to make the blonde's comment backfire on him and didn't expect the guy to lean in with a challenging spark in his unique eyes, still wearing that grin.

“Of course. You don't?”

Ryou backed away. His cheeks were flaring bright red he turned his head to look in another direction, while the man next to him burst in a fit of laughter. “You are really cute, Ryou!”

Ryou wanted to counter with something, but the sudden use of his name startled him and he whirled around to look into the others laughing face with a shocked expression.

“Wait! How do you know my name? I didn't tell you.”

The blond stopped laughing, but still a bright smile lit up his pretty features. “I know more than you think I do, Mage.”

This was all more than confusing and for a moment Ryou really thought that maybe he was still asleep and dreaming everything.

A deep, threatening growl came out of the shadows in front of them and shook Ryou out of his thoughts immediately.

The blond next to him also tensed a moment out of a reflex, but relaxed visibly when he seemed to realize what made the sound. The moment they saw some pale, narrowed eyes gleaming in their direction Ryou jumped up and pressed himself against the tree with shaking hands, his heart racing.

A big silver-white wolf stepped out of the shadows. His eyes were fixed on Ryou and his teeth bared at him in a dangerous snarl.

The man next to him also stood up, but instead of backing away in fear like Ryou did, he actually made a few steps forward to approach the growling creature.

Ryou looked panicked at him. “What are you doing?! Are you insane?”

The blonde turned his head to look in Ryou's eyes. His expression was calm and determined, a small smile still on his features. “It's okay. He won't hurt me.”

He gestured to the fireplace in front of Ryou. “Stay close to the fire. He's afraid of it and won't come nearer as long as you are there.”

Ryou's mind was racing. He didn't understand anything going on there and by now he really doubted that this night was real.

Without a further warning, he watched the blond man approaching the wolf. It seemed that the wild animal instantly got a lot calmer and stopped growling.

Eyes wide in disbelief, Ryou saw the blond stroke the silver-white fur of the wolf. He crouched down in front of the animal and gave the beast a brief kiss on its forehead which, to Ryou's surprise made the wolf waggle his tail happily. He heard the blond murmur some calming words to the wolf, but he wasn't able to understand them and then the man stood up again and turned back to face Ryou.

“We will leave you alone now. Go into the cabin and get some proper sleep. I'm sure Rishid will be ready for his watch soon. We have an eye on the cabin and Dia too.”

Ryou couldn't answer and just nodded his head in agreement. Then he watched the man and the wolf disappear into the shadows of the woods again.

Exhausted, Ryou slid down the tree and shook his head, his heart still racing.

“What the hell was that?”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. I bet most of you have a clue now what's going on there.  
These were the introduction chapters and the following ones will be longer from now on. 
> 
> I hope you liked it and I'm always happy to hear some thoughts about it!  
See ya!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Ryou makes some friends and reveals an embarrassing secret XD

Ryou awoke with the sun already standing high. He pulled his robe over his head and winced as he looked down at himself and saw how dirty his once bright beige clothing was. Surely he could find a river or a little lake nearby were he could wash his clothes, but first he should get a meal.

Ryou stepped out of the cabin and took a look around. He couldn’t see anyone, only Diabound standing next to the cabin chewing happily on some carrots someone must have given him.

“Hello Dia,” he greeted the white stallion, and approached the animal to take a look at his wound. With a nod Ryou confirmed to himself it looked much better already and decided to make a new tincture after he had eaten something.

It was already too late to call it a breakfast, so he went back into the cabin to search for ingredients to prepare a lunch. He found some potatoes, various vegetables, some eggs, and also grabbed some of the herbs he and Rishid found the day before. Ryou wasn't sure about the other two man and if they already had eaten something, but he figured it wouldn't do any harm to cook enough for all of them.

After he found a pan, he started slicing the ingredients and made a fire.

Ryou was sitting at the fireplace with the frying pan in hand when steps attracted his attention. Bakura appeared between the trees, the falcon following him as usual, landing on the wooden pole next to the cabin.

“Oh, you're back.” Ryou greeted him with a smile, which Bakura answered with one of his grunts.

“I made lunch. You can have some too.”

Bakura looked at him with narrowed eyes. “I hope so. it's my stuff you're cooking.”

Ryou's smile faltered.

Rishid appeared behind the cabin now with a few fish in hand and a fishing rod over his shoulder, which at least explained to Ryou were he had been.

After the tall man brought his catch into the cabin he joined the other two at the fireplace. Ryou split the contents of the frying pan between the three of them.

They started eating in silence for a few moments, but Ryou could definitely see Bakura's eyes widen slightly as he took the first bites. Cooking was one of Ryou's hobbies and he had the ability to make a perfect meal out of the most simple ingredients.

“Last night... some strange things happened.” Ryou began to talk. He wasn't sure at first if he should tell Bakura about it, but Ryou needed answers and Bakura seemed to be the only person that might be able to give them to him. Of course, Bakura didn't answer and continued eating his lunch.

With a frown Ryou looked at him, determined to not let the subject drop. “I met a guy. I thought maybe you know him.”

Ryou definitely recognized the look Rishid shot Bakura by the mention of the guy he met.

Something was wrong, Ryou knew that and he was convinced he would find out what.

Bakura didn't look up from his plate as he answered. “If that's the case, it's good you're still alive. The woods are dangerous...”

“Yes yes... thieves and wolves... I could be killed easily if I'm not cautious. I know that.” Ryou interrupted Bakura's obvious attempt to avert the topic of the conversation, what earned him a pissed look from his counterpart.

But Ryou had decided he didn't care. “He had a... unique appearance, if you want to say so, and we talked a bit. Dia seemed to know him, so I figured you’d definitely know him too. And also there was a wolf...” Ryou didn't exactly know how to put last night's strange events into words without sounding insane, but he had to get answers.

Bakura just looked at Ryou, his features not revealing his thoughts. After a few seconds he focused on his lunch again and answered casually. “Yes. I know him.”

Ryou's eyes lit up with excitement. “And who is he?”

“A friend.” Came the simple answer.

What didn't escape Ryou’s notice was the way Rishid tensed at their conversation, but the big man clearly refused to say something and continued eating in silence.

“A friend. Yes. That's what he told me too. But who is he? What's his name? And why does he come to your hideout in the middle of the night? And the wolf...”

Bakura dropped his plate and faced Ryou with an angry glint in his eyes, his voice almost a growl. “You ask too many questions. See, I told you he is a friend. You met him in the middle of the night in the woods. You should be thankful to be still alive. That's all you need to know. You will leave us today anyway. I will bring you to the next village and that's it.”

With that he stood up and made his way to the cabin, but Ryou followed and stopped him.

“No I won't! Dia still needs some treatment... “

“Rishid is also able to treat Dia's wound,” Bakura responded harshly.

Ryou winced.

For a moment he wasn't sure why he insisted on staying with the stubborn guy, but he always had been quite stubborn himself. And curious. And he knew by now there were a lot of things happening in these woods that he needed to come behind.

With a deep sigh he gathered his thoughts and spoke up again. “There is nowhere I could go, Bakura. I'm an outcast and the soldiers of the court will most likely catch me sooner or later if I go back in any of the villages.”

He looked up at Bakura and shrugged. “I don't know what is going on here. But I owe you my life and I swore I would pay my duty. So, please. Let me stay and I promise I will be useful for you.”

The silver-haired man stood and looked at him in silence, obviously thinking about his options.

His thoughts were interrupted by a high screech from the falcon on the wooden pole behind him. Bakura turned to glance at the golden bird, who flapped his wings and screeched again.

Ryou could have sworn he saw Bakura rolling his eyes at the bird before facing the mage again. “Fine. At least I have to admit your lunch is pretty good.”

A wide smile spread across Ryou's features. “Thank you! I will not disappoint you!”

“Yeah, yeah...” Bakura turned on his heels again to go into the cabin, waving his hand dismissively. “Do me a favor and just try to stay alive for now. And don't annoy me with all your stupid questions.”

Rishid showed him a pond were he could wash his robe after Bakura lent him some clothes to change, and in the afternoon showed Ryou how to disembowel the fish he'd caught.

That night Ryou would take the second watch.

The fact that Bakura and the falcon left to go into the woods without explaining why and where again left Ryou curious to no ends, but he decided to keep his questions to himself until Bakura trusted him enough.

Rishid woke him in the second half of the night for his shift sitting by the fireplace. With a yawn he got up and wondered if he would see the mysterious man or even the wolf again. By the thought of the wolf he shivered slightly, but remembered the words of the blonde: that the animal wouldn't come to close, if he stayed next to the fire.

Though this time he was prepared, nothing really happened, only a few owls kept him company. He sat awake, immersed in his thoughts, until the morning when he started to make breakfast.

Again, it was almost midday until Bakura and the falcon came back.

They ate lunch together, which Ryou also had cooked again.

“We will go to the village on the river after lunch.” Bakura stated, still chewing.

Ryou raised his eyebrows. “To the village?”

“Yes. I will lend you a cape to conceal your features. If we are careful and don't attract attention, it's no problem. We need some basics for cooking and I would say you could use some clothes.”

With a glance at his still drying robe in front of the cabin, Ryou nodded. “Alright.”

They started after lunch and it took them about two hours of walking to get to the village. Since Diabound was still healing, they couldn't ride him.

The falcon sat on Bakura's arm most of the time, but as they came closer to the village, the pretty animal spread his wings and flew. It was almost as if he intentionally tried to distance himself from them as they neared the village. After they entered the place, Ryou couldn't see the falcon anymore and he figured the bird must have hidden himself somewhere.

Bakura and Ryou stopped at a few salesmen and bought the things they needed. They paid with gold coins and trinkets which Bakura had stored in little bags under his cape. Ryou wondered for a moment why a man living in a small cabin in the woods was in possession of that much gold. Thinking about Bakura he came to the conclusion that it wasn't that far-fetched that Bakura was a thief, and a good one too.

As soon as they left the village again, Ryou was able to spot the familiar golden plumage of the falcon heading for them through the sky.

The bird followed them and from time to time rose high up in the air, just to come down again with an insane amount of speed. It almost looked like a game, and Ryou chuckled softly while watching.

“Does he have a name?”

Bakura blinked at him, obviously not getting what Ryou meant, until he pointed at the falcon flying over them. “Your friend. Does he have a name?”

The silver-haired man looked up to the falcon, his features unreadable to Ryou and nodded. “Yes. He does.” Then he turned to face Ryou. “But I can't tell you yet.” Bakura's eyes left Ryou's and looked in front of them, his voice sounded strangely far away as he continued. “His name is sacred to me. I don't spill it to anyone. You have to prove yourself worthy.”

Ryou watched Bakura, a bit startled, but knew better by now than to annoy the other with his questions, so he dropped the topic.

This night Ryou took one of Rishid's books with him to read at the fireplace. It was a book about healing plants and Ryou figured he already knew most of it, but he didn't know what else to do to kill the time.

Ryou tensed and laid the book down as he heard quiet footsteps behind the cabin, but relaxed immediately as he recognized the person approaching him.

“Good evening.” The blond man said cheerfully as he sat down next to Ryou at the fireplace.

Ryou quirked an eyebrow. “It's the middle of the night.”

The man shrugged. “Just semantics.” Then his eyes caught the book on the ground. “You are reading one of Rishid's books?”

“Yes.” Ryou nodded. “It can get quite boring sitting on the fire half of the night by myself.”

“You're not by yourself any more.” The other countered with a grin.

Ryou smiled at that and wanted to ask the mysterious man some things, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he was interrupted by a familiar growl coming from the shadows in front of them.

He tensed, his hand reflexively grabbing the knife at his side, but the blond man next to him laid a calming hand on Ryou's arm.

The silver-furred wolf stepped out of the shadows of the trees with a dangerous gleam in his eyes. The animal bared his teeth at Ryou, who swallowed thickly while the man next to him seemed totally unimpressed.

His voice was calm and almost affectionate as he started speaking to the wolf. “Shhh. Calm down. He's a friend, you know that. There's no need to act like that.”

Something in the wolves features changed.

The blond man cocked his head slightly. “I know you intend to scare him away, but you know he doesn't mean any harm. I trust him.”

At that the wolf stopped his snarling and calmed down visibly. He approached the two man at the fire, but stopped a few feet away and Ryou remembered the other mentioning the wolf’s fear of fire.

The blond rose and walked over to the wolf, crouching in front of him and began stroking his fur affectionately while whispering something to him.

Ryou watched the scene with amazement. Then the man held out his hand towards him. “Come here.”

Ryou's eyes widened with panic. “No! I...”

“He won't hurt you. I promise. So come here.”

The man sounded absolutely confident, but Ryou himself didn't feel the same. Nonetheless he rose to his feet and walked over to the man and the animal with shaking legs.

The blond smiled at Ryou and took his hand to direct it to the wolves nose. The silver- furred animal took in his scent and Ryou swore his heart stopped beating for a moment in anticipation of the wolf biting his hand off.

But nothing like that happened. The animal stood perfectly calm and looked at him with curious eyes.

Ryou reached out and touched the wolf’s fur softly before drawing his hand away and looking at the man next to him with a smile.

“I told you he won't hurt you.”

“Yes.” Ryou nodded, but his heart was still racing. He eyed the animal more closely for a moment and only then recognized the scar under the wolf's left eye.

“That scar...”

The other man looked at him with a strange expression, like he was waiting for Ryou to finally understand what he was missing, but Ryou wasn't able to figure it out now. The whole scenario was so absurd, it was hard for Ryou to think clearly.

The blond sat down next to the wolf a proper distance to the fire. The animal lay down next to the man with his head propped in his lap. Ryou decided to take a seat next to them.

They were silent for a few moments and the voice of the mysterious man almost startled him. “My name is Malik.”

The wolf made a grumbling sound but Malik cut the animal off immediately, though still tenderly stroking his fur. “Stop it! I told you I trust him.”

Ryou watched the strange pair that looked so intimate with a small smile as he answered.

“Nice to meet you, Malik.”

A sudden sound coming from the hide-out startled them, and the wooden door of the cabin opened. Rishid appeared in the doorframe and stepped in their direction. Ryou noticed Malik beam at the tall man and get up to approach him.

“Hello Malik.” Rishid´s voice sounded affectionate.

“Rishid,” came Malik´s answer, and he caught the other in a hug.

They stood like this a moment before Rishid spoke again. “It´s been a few days now. I switched my night-watch with our guest, because it seems easier for him to stay awake after he got some sleep beforehand.”

Malik chuckled. “Yes. I figured.”

“I couldn´t find any proper sleep and then I heard your voice. I thought I might as well come say hello.”

The two men returned to Ryou again. Ryou didn´t miss how familiar Rishid and Malik seemed with each other, and he wondered what it meant.

“So you finally found someone you can talk to about your healing knowledge, it seems.” Malik´s statement was directed at Rishid, who answered him with a firm nod.

“Yes. Looks like it.” He directed his gaze at Ryou. “Ryou is quite talented and it´s nice to have someone else to exchange knowledge and experiences with.”

Ryou smiled back at him. “I agree.”

Malik´s expression was curious as he spoke to Ryou. “So you really seem to be the healer you claimed to be. What´s with your other talents? Didn´t you say you were a Mage?”

Something in Malik´s line of questioning made Ryou uncomfortable. It wasn´t only that he always seemed to know everything, even if Ryou never told him. It was also the funny feeling that nothing Malik ever said or asked came without an intention. Even if he kinda enjoyed the man´s company at the fireplace at night, he also found Malik to be not only highly perceptive, but intimidating in his own way.

Nonetheless, he decided to be honest. “I don´t think you can really call it a talent.” Blushing slightly he cast his eyes down and played with a piece of straw on the ground.

“But weren´t you a Mage at the court?” Malik asked, cocking his eyebrow. 

“Where do you...?” Ryou sighed confused and shook his head. “Yes, but more ofa healer than a mage. I was caught practicing a new spell and when I told them I was a mage, they wanted to ban me. I talked to them and made an agreement: if I could do one thing with my magic that would serve the court, I would be allowed to stay.”

Rishid nodded in response. “All the Mages at the court were banned or sentenced to death a few years ago.”

“That´s true.” Ryou shifted a bit uncomfortably, but decided to tell the whole story. “So the task they gave me was to make the wool of the court´s sheep thicker and... well... I was so nervous and mixed some things up I guess. In the end it turned out my spell was kinda wrong.” He placed his hands over his face in embarrassment at the memories.

Malik shuffled a bit closer, his eyes gleaming with curiosity. “What happened?”

Ryou sighed. “The wool. It turned all green, some of the sheep even lost it all, and I didn´t know how to fix it.” He closed his eyes and felt ashamed again.

Both men next to Ryou first blinked at him silently before they broke into a fit of laughter. It was the first time Ryou had seen Rishid laugh so freely. Malik was leaning on the tall man’s arm and Ryou could clearly see tears welling in his eyes and he shook from laughter. Even the wolf next to them made some grunting noises that sounded strangely amused.

Ryou just stared at them a moment in disbelief. The amusement was contagious and got him to chuckle as well, which soon turned into a full, hearty laughter.

After they all calmed down, Malik wiped the tears from under his eyes and smiled warmly at Ryou.

“Ryou, this was the best thing I’ve heard in a long time.”

They sat by the fire for the rest of the night and Ryou told them about his time at the court and why he actually wanted to become a mage. It was nice to have them around and for the first time in long years, Ryou felt accepted somewhere.

  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Ryou is overthinking his moral standards

Ryou spent his days taking care for Dia's wound, which was getting better every day, and learning things about the forest while fishing with Rishid. He and the big, calm man developed a friendship and were happy to exchange cooking recipes and knowledge about healing methods.

Ryou managed to buy some magic scripts at a more hidden corner of the nearby village and made sure to practice his magical skills as often as he could.

During his night-watch, he killed the time with either reading his scripts or talking to Malik. The blond man didn't appear every night, but when he did he was always a pleasant distraction for Ryou. He was always accompanied by the white wolf; the animal stayed at his side, as if to watch over him. Ryou still tried to find out more about the mysterious man and his uncommon companion, but Malik was skilled in avoiding straight answers. At some point Ryou decided to drop it and just enjoyed the company.

It must have been at least three weeks since Bakura had rescued Ryou from the soldiers of the court, maybe more. Ryou found himself smiling at how easily he'd gotten used to living in the woods and the company of the three mysterious men and their equally mysterious animals.

He was shaken from his thoughts as Bakura suddenly dropped a dark hooded cape at the floor in front of him.

“Pull that over your head. We're going and I don't want us to be seen.”

Ryou blinked up at him slightly puzzled. “Are we going to the village? But we were already there a few days ago.”

“No. Not the village.”

Ryou gave Bakura a questioning look. Bakura often left Rishid and him for a few hours, the falcon following every one of his steps. Ryou had stopped asking about where he was going and what he was doing at some point. Sometimes, Bakura came back with some suspicious looking bags and Ryou soon came to the conclusion that probably those were the times the white-haired man went out to get his gold from who knows where.

The young mage thought about refusing the offer of accompanying Bakura, but knowing the other man by now, he was sure that it wasn't really an offer so much as a command.

With a sigh he stood up, pulled the robe over his body and followed Bakura and the falcon.

They walked the forest road for a while. The falcon followed them and took off in certain directions from time to time.

After a while he landed on Bakura's arm and the white-haired man eyed him with a questioning look. “And? See something?”

The bird fluffed his plumage and shook his small body as if he wanted to negate the question.

Bakura gave a grunt in response and the bird flew up again, repeating the action of flying in various directions.

Ryou still couldn't get a grasp on what was going on and had stopped asking questions a few hours ago, following Bakura with an annoyed expression.

Suddenly the falcon darted down toward them again and landed on Bakura's raised arm, flapping his wings eagerly. Bakura nodded and pointed in the direction the bird had come from. “There?”

Another flap and Bakura nodded again.

Ryou put his hands on his hips and watched the man with a frown.

“What are we doing here, Bakura?”

Bakura gave the falcon a short stroke and looked over to Ryou. “There will probably be a salesman coming by in a few minutes.” He looked around as if searching for something.

Ryou's frown deepened. “We are waiting for a salesman in the middle of the woods? Why don't we just go and find one in the next village?”

Bakura answered with a mischievous grin. “Because in the village we don't get what we want from the salesman that easily.”

Ryou needed a moment to process what Bakura was trying to tell him and his eyes went wide with shock.

“No... You can't be serious. You want to rob that man?”

“Yes.” The answer was casual. “And we should hurry and climb up that tree over there. I hope you are able to climb, otherwise you’ll have to find yourself a bush to hide in.”

Ryou shook his head fiercely. “No! I will not help you to rob an innocent salesman on the road.”

Bakura rolled his eyes. “Of course you can't help me. You just watch and learn. And also I may need two more hands to carry the loot.”

“No way I'm doing that! Do what you want, but I will not become a criminal. Just because you have questionable moral standards, that doesn’t mean I do too. I will go back and...”

The sudden grip at his collar startled Ryou.

Bakura looked into his eyes, his own gaze narrowed threateningly. “You will go nowhere. Listen, Mage, we have to survive out in these woods and we can't just feed ourselves on fish and berries. So either you find a way to make us enough gold with your magic or you will learn how to help me to get everything we need my way.”

He let go of Ryou's collar and walked up to the big tree. “Now get your skinny ass up there and be quiet.”

Ryou looked panicked and thought about just turning around and going back to the cabin, but he figured Bakura wouldn't be very amused by it. With a defeated huff, he climbed up the tree with Bakura following him and they both hid within the dense branches.

The falcon took a perch on a branch from another tree.

They had to wait a few minutes in silence for the carriage to appear on the narrow forest road.

To the salesman's surprise the falcon with his golden feathers and unusual eye-color landed right in the middle of the road, looking curiously up the carriage. With raised eyebrows the man stopped his horse.

“Nah, nah, look what a beauty you are” the man said, a smile forming on his face.

The falcon still looked curiously up the man, who now descended from his carriage in a cautious manner to not scare the unique animal in front of him. The bird sat still as he approached.

“Hello you pretty thing. Aren't you a nice animal. Do you belong to someone?” The man looked around, obviously watching for some huntsman the falcon could belong to. He didn't see someone and his face split into a mischievous grin.

“Well, I bet it brings a lot of money to sell such a pretty thing at the local market.”

The moment the man bent down to grab the bird in front of him, Bakura jumped down the tree and the next second was pressing his blade at the shocked man's throat.

Ryou watched everything from upon the tree with a unpleasant feeling in his stomach.

“I'm very sorry. But he's not for sale today. But how about instead of filling your bags with more gold, I help to relieve you of some of it?”

The man swallowed thickly and his voice was shaking as he spoke. “I...I'm very sorry, Sir. I don't have much. I'm just a small salesman trying to get by some way or the other and...”

Bakura pressed the blade deeper, causing a thin trail of blood to flow down the shaking man's throat. He let out an annoyed grunt at the man's explanations.

“Yes, of course. That's what I thought.” He started moving and turned the man to shove him in the direction of his carriage. They were facing the side of the carriage now, where a golden emblem, showing a golden scepter, was to be seen.

“You wear the crest of the landlord on your carriage, that means you're a salesman of the court, right? I tell you something. You can give me the gold you carry in your nice looking carriage and take your leave back to the court and cry there about the nasty thief that robbed you or you can still refuse and you will unfortunately die here. Maybe I don't even have to kill you myself, it would be enough to wound you badly. I bet the wolves would be quite happy about the free meal.”

“No! Please!” The man's voice was raised in panic now, tears flowing down his cheek. “I’ll give you everything you want, but please let me go.”

Bakura's expression was clearly satisfied as the man moved to get to the back of the carriage. He pulled out some quite large gold-filled bags and dropped them on the ground.

After Bakura had taken a last look inside the carriage while still threatening the salesman with his sword, he let him go. The man almost jumped onto the carriage and dashed off as fast as he could. Bakura watched him with a smirk and yelled “And don't forget to tell the court you were robbed by the King of Thieves!”

After the salesman was gone, Ryou climbed down the tree with a disgusted expression. “That was awful, Bakura. That poor man just wanted to do his job.”

Bakura let out a snort at that. “He was from the court, Ryou. An official salesman. I bet he has more than enough gold there. These assholes make themselves richer and richer everyday, while the rest of the land is suffering from hunger. He doesn't deserve your pity in the slightest. Or did you forget, these are the same people that tried to kill you for being a bad mage?”

Ryou blinked at Bakura, ignoring the comment about him being a bad mage and considered his words a moment. Stealing, threatening people... that were always things he thought of as wrong, but he had to admit Bakura had a point there. Of course he knew about the circumstances in the rest of the country and he also knew the courts' people, under their great ruler Lord Ishtar, just preyed upon the poor. Maybe Bakura wasn’t actually that wrong.

Bakura inspected the bags of gold and without any further words shoved two of them into Ryou's arms and started walking back to their hide-out.

That night as he sat on the fireplace, Ryou was deeply immersed in his thoughts.

He pondered everything that Bakura had said to him. Ryou sure wasn't a supporter of the court and he knew about their wrongdoings. But he wasn't sure if that would justify Bakura's actions.

A familiar figure appeared behind the trees.

Malik sat down, the wolf following him as usual and looked at Ryou, obviously recognizing his discomfort.

“What is wrong, Mage?”

Ryou shrugged. “I think I have to rethink a few convictions of mine.”

Malik just nodded at that. “Well, I think sometimes that’s necessary, to rethink them. That doesn't mean you have to get rid of them at all. Maybe just change your point of view from time to time.”

Ryou considered his words and nodded. “Okay. Maybe you are right.” He went silent a moment before he looked up at Malik again.

“How about you? Did you ever do something that was against the law? Something that might be considered wrong? Like... robbing a salesman.”

The wolf next to them made a strange, grumbling sound, but Malik ignored it and chuckled. “Hmm... I guess you can say so.”

“So you did? Are you a thief too?” Ryou asked with a frown.

Malik grinned at him and winked. “Do I look like a thief to you?”

Ryou shrugged. “You are running around in the woods, in the middle of the night, dressed in a dark purple robe, and your best friend is a full-grown wolf. You might as well be an assassin or even worse, a demon, or something like that!”

This made Malik laugh very loudly. “I guess you have a point, my friend!”

Ryou couldn't help but smile back at him. Maybe Bakura was a thief and maybe Malik was really an assassin. But if he thought about it some more, he considered neither of them to be that dangerous. They both seemed to have good reasons for whatever they did and even if they didn't always give him straight answers to his questions and talked about themselves too much, Ryou could tell they both shared a certain sadness.

Even when Bakura was being an asshole, making nasty comments or bad jokes, Ryou could see the sad expression he wore from time to time. And he also saw the looks he gave his friend the falcon. They were moments his expression turned from merciless to almost affectionate, when he looked at the pretty bird, that it left Ryou speechless.

And he could tell exactly the same about Malik. He hid his sadness behind his laughter and mischievous, flirty behavior, but from time to time there was something dark in his expression and his eyes became hard and dangerous. Only the wolf managed to soften his features again and turned his expression into one full of love.

Ryou thought about that too that night and wondered about the parallels of the two men. Both often ranted about the system of the land they lived in. And from time to time they expressed thoughts of vengeance, though they both were pretty closed up if Ryou asked what it was they want to avenge.

“What have they done to you Malik? I mean the court. There must be a reason why you hate them so much.”

Malik winced slightly. “What do you mean? I don't have to have a specific reason to hate them. Do I? They let their people suffer and their whole system is just wrong.”

Ryou nodded a moment. “Yes. Those are almost the same things I hear from Bakura every time I ask. But I get the feeling that there is more. For the both of you.”

“Ryou...” Malik was interrupted from the wolf at his side, who gave a dangerous growl and looked deep into the man's eyes. The blond returned the gaze and then nodded and got up on his feet.

“We have to go now. I hope you get some sleep later, and don't think too much about everything.”

Ryou looked up at both with a confused expression at the sudden departure

“But...”

Malik just turned and left, waving goodbye to Ryou before he disappeared into the woods.

  
  
  



	5. Chapter 5

Bakura and Ryou rode back from the village on Diabound's back. The big, white stallion recovered fully again only a scar was left from the sword wound, and now the impressive animal was ready to carry Ryou and Bakura again.

They got some supplies at the market and Ryou found some new spells and other scripts that seemed like they could be quite useful. He had begun to develop an interest in the treatment of curses. Ryou couldn't tell why, but it felt like a little voice whispering inside of him that told him he might need it sometime.

Both of them avoided speaking about the robbery again, and Ryou wondered if Bakura was still convinced he had to teach Ryou how to steal. The mage still hoped that Bakura would one day realize that Ryou could be much more useful with his magical skills. He just had to convince the stubborn thief somehow.

They left the woods behind and rode along the wide grass plain.

The falcon flew above them, as always. It was a nice windy day and the animal just had to spread its wings and float on the streams of air.

They rode in silence as Ryou caught sight of a figure on a horse standing on a small hill not far away from them. The man on the horse had something in his hand - what looked like a bow, as far as Ryou could tell.

He frowned, sitting behind Bakura's back and pointed at the man on the horse. “Is that a soldier from the court?”

Bakura examined the figure and shook his head. “No, he doesn't look like a soldier. And also they are usually not alone.”

The figure raised his bow and looked ready to use it at any moment. But he didn't target the two men on the horse. It seemed his target was something way above them.

“I think it's a hunter...”

Bakura spoke his thought and immediately froze in place. His eyes darted up in panic and to Ryou it felt like everything happened in slow motion.

The man on the hill shot the arrow and unfortunately hit his target in one shot.

Ryou saw the arrow pierce the falcon and the animal let out a loud, ear-splitting screech.

Bakura jumped down from the horse and darted in the direction where the bird had landed after falling out of the sky.

Ryou ran up to Bakura after a few moments of shock. He approached the man that knelt in the grass and cradled the bleeding bird in his arms. The arrow stuck out awkwardly and the animal's pupils were dilated in panic.

Ryou laid a hand on Bakura's shoulder to calm him. “We have to go back to our hide-out. Me and Rishid will find a way to help him. I promise.”

They were startled by the voice of a person that approached them on a horse. “I don't know who you are, but if you would excuse me, that is my prey.”

Bakura's eyes narrowed as he looked up at the hunter. His expression turned as cold as ice and he stood up to hand the falcon over to Ryou.

With pure hatred displayed on his features, he grabbed the hunter by his robes and sent him from his horse down the ground like he weighed nothing.

The hunter let out a surprised sound and hit the ground with a loud grunt. The man didn't have the chance to get up as Bakura jumped on top of him. He was straddling him, pinning him to the ground with his body weight, pressing his sword to the man's throat.

“You picked the wrong target today.” The words left Bakura's mouth like dripping venom.

The moment he raised the blade and was ready to kill the man beneath him, a hand wrapped around his wrist. He looked up confused and saw Ryou, with the falcon in his arm. The mage wore a pleading expression.

“Please Bakura, don't do that. I know you are hurt, but he isn't worth it. Let him go. I promise I’ll find a way to save your friend.”

Bakura cringed. The pain inside him was evident in his features and it was obviously not easy for him to let go, but he lowered the sword nonetheless.

He closed his eyes and looked defeated for a moment and Ryou barely understood what he muttered under his breath.

“He's not my _friend_.”

Bakura took Ryou's outstretched hand and got to his feet.

The hunter was still lying on his back with a shocked expression and didn't dare say another word. He just watched the two men head back to their horse.

Then they darted off, Ryou still holding the bird in his arms.

They arrived at the hide-out after half an hour of riding and jumped from Dia's back to run into the cabin.

Rishid greeted them with a frown. “What happened?” His eyes went wide the moment he saw what happened to the falcon, and he looked concerned.

Bakura didn't answer. He laid the falcon on the bed and started to wipe the blood from the golden plumage with a towel.

Ryou decided he had to explain. “There was a hunter. He shot the falcon with his arrow.”

Rishid nodded, his usual stoic expression still horrified. He turned and started to search for a certain script.

“We have to find a way to get the arrow out without causing more damage. I need a spell for that, and to reduce the pain. And we need a way to prevent the wound from getting infected.”

Ryou blinked at him for a moment and nodded before he started his own research on what Rishid had mentioned.

Bakura stayed at the falcon's side, petting him lightly and murmuring quiet things to him from time to time.

Ryou found a spell that seemed to help with getting the arrow out, while Rishid found something that might help to ease the pain.

They started mixing tinctures and prepared the spells in silence.

Ryou noted Bakura suddenly getting nervous. He walked up to the window from time to time and frowned. It was getting late and the sun was slowly going down between the trees. Bakura was pacing up and down in front of the bed.

“Rishid!”

His voice sounded stressed and even though he didn't say anything else it seemed the big bald headed man understood him perfectly.

“I know, Bakura. But we have to do something _now_. And I need Ryou to help me. There's no other way.”

Bakura sighed and looked out of the window again. He shook his head and turned to walk out of the door.

Ryou watched him, surprised he really wanted to leave in this situation.

“I... will be back soon.” Without any explanation, he left.

Ryou looked at Rishid confused. “Why is he going now? He was so sad and concerned! Why isn't he staying?”

Rishid looked at the falcon on the bed and then back to Ryou. “There are a lot of things you need to know. Things that might not be easy to understand. I want you to stay calm. I need your help.”

Ryou just felt even more confused and wanted to ask Rishid what he meant. He was tired of everyone’s cryptic answers. They were making him angry.

The moment he opened his mouth to speak he recognized a faint glow coming from the bed.

Bakura had pulled a blanket over the bird before he had left, and now the animal and the blanket were both bathed in a warm golden light.

The light got even brighter with every second, so bright that Ryou finally had to drag his eyes away.

After a few moments, the glow vanished and Ryou looked to the bed again.

What he saw left him speechless and frozen in place. His jaw dropped in shock and he blinked down at the person who was now laying on the bed.

Instead of the golden falcon, there was a man wrapped in the blanket, a man who let out a pained groan with his golden hair covered in sweat.

Ryou recognized him instantly, and everything seemed to make a lot more sense all of a sudden.

“Malik.” The mage whispered the name with his eyes wide.

Rishid watched the young mage approach the bed. “Yes. It's him.”

Ryou stood in front of the bed, fascinated by the sight of the man who had definitely been a falcon a few minutes ago. “I think I knew it deep inside already. It was just hard to believe.”

Rishid stepped up to his side, his voice betraying his concern.“We have to help him, that's all that matters now. I can tell you everything you need to know afterwards.”

Ryou nodded.

The two of them started to apply the tinctures and Ryou chanted some of the spells they had found.

Rishid had prepared everything. They would pull out the arrow and then stop the bleeding and bandage the wound.

Fortunately, it didn't seem that the arrow had hit any internal organs. The weapon stuck out a few inches under Malik's left shoulder and it could be removed quite easily if they were cautious. It was the blood loss that concerned Rishid.

He inspected the wound and the arrow that jutted out of it with a frown.

“At least it's good we can do this while he is human. It's a bit easier to treat a human than a bird.”

Ryou agreed and applied another tincture around the wound before Rishid moved to grab the arrow. He winced slightly and closed his eyes for a few seconds as Rishid pulled the arrow out of the man’s body.

Malik cried out in pain, but calmed down when Rishid cleaned the wound and started to bandage it.

When they were finally done, Malik fell asleep, exhausted, and Rishid didn't look much better.

“Go to sleep, Rishid. I'll watch over him and tell you if anything happens.” Ryou laid a hand on Rishid's arm and gave him a sad smile. He examined the bald headed man for a few moments before he spoke again. “You are close to him, right? I can see how concerned you are, though you tried to stay very calm.”

Rishid looked at Ryou and dragged his eyes back to Malik before he answered. “He's my little brother.”

Ryou just gave a small sound of understanding and Rishid went to his room to take a rest.

With a sigh, Ryou set up another pot of hot water to make himself some tea.

He needed to rest now too and went to take a seat at a wooden chair before a low growl at the front door got his attention. Ryou knew who it was. Everything had finally made sense in his mind the moment he saw Malik lying on the bed.

He stepped to the door and opened it, finding the huge, silver- white wolf standing in front of him.

With a unwavering expression, he looked down at the animal. He was positive now that he understood what happened every night, and greeted the wolf with a warm smile.

“Hello Bakura.”

Ryou took a seat in the chair after letting the wolf in and poured himself a cup of tea. He watched silently as Bakura approached the bed and climbed up onto the mattress as carefully as he could so as not to wake the sleeping figure. He curled up next to Malik and closed his eyes with a quiet whimper.

Ryou felt his heart ache at the sight.

  
  


He must have fallen asleep as well since he woke with a start after hearing a faint moan from the bed.

Malik opened his eyes and struggled to sit up.

“No! Please lay down. You have to rest.” Ryou's soft voice startled the blonde man.

Bakura, still curled up next to him, looked up into his eyes with a weird, almost scolding expression on his wolfish face.

“I... can I get some water?” Malik's voice sounded hoarse.

Ryou got up to bring him a glass of water. He walked back to the bed and carefully helped Malik sit up a bit so he could drink.

They were silent for a few minutes until Ryou decided it was time for some answers.

“It's a curse, right?” Ryou took a seat next to the bed to face the blonde man properly.

Malik, still holding his glass, looked down at the wolf next to him. “Yes. A very powerful one, cast by a very powerful person.”

Ryou took a sip of his now cold tea. He watched how gently Malik stroked the wolf between the ears, and nodded.

“_He's not my friend. _I think I understand now.”

Malik looked up to Ryou with a raised eyebrow, obviously not understanding what Ryou was talking about.

“That's what Bakura said today, when you were hurt. I thought I had misheard, somehow. But now I think I know what he meant.” Ryou's eyes wandered from Bakura’s face to Malik's questioning gaze. “You are not just his friend. You love each other. Right?”

Malik's eyes had widened at first but then went soft as he continued petting the wolf between his ears. His voice was low and affectionate. “More than anything else.”

Ryou nodded again and his expression turned from sympathetic to determined. “Alright. I will help you.”

Malik looked back at Ryou and again didn't seem to have a clue what the mage was talking about.

“Help? With what exactly?”

“Breaking the curse.” Ryou stated after taking another sip from his tea.

Malik chuckled at that. “Well. As much as I appreciate the offer... this curse is not meant to be broken. It would take a lot of effort and magical knowledge, and it's bound to certain conditions. Rishid already tried everything he could to break it with his spells.”

“Yes. I can imagine. I’ve never seen such a powerful magic before.” Ryou looked into the distance, but his voice stayed determined and a small smile formed on his lips. “But as you said. It's surely bound to conditions. We just have to find out what conditions they are. Then I can work around this.”

Bakura let out an unamused growl and Malik seemed to think about Ryou's suggestion for a moment.

The blond man bit his lower lip and winced as a sudden flash of pain pierced through his body.

At Ryou’s look, he reluctantly laid down again and closed his eyes.

“Okay. I accept your offer.” Malik statet with a small smile on his face as he petted the wolf next to him. “But you have to convince Bakura, too. I will sleep now for a bit. Maybe you should go to bed as well.”

Ryou got up and made his way to his bed. He really needed to rest, as he was determined to have a long talk with Bakura the next day.

He was sure he would find a way to break the curse and was convinced that it must have been fate that brought him and the two cursed lovers together.

With that on his mind, he drifted away into a deep sleep.

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry?   
But hey! Ryou is a good healer! He will fix that! I believe in him.  
And next week we will have the beginning of a flashback and you will finally get some romance and shipping stuff XD In case you waited for this.


	6. Chapter 6

After a night full of weird dreams, he was woken up by the sun shining brightly through his window. Ryou stretched, yawning loudly.

For a moment, he thought that everything that had happened the night before had been one of those weird dreams. He blinked his eyes open and sat up in his bed with a frown.

The more his mind cleared, the more sure he was that everything he had seen had really happened.

Ryou dressed himself and stepped out of his room. In the other room, he found Rishid leaning over the falcon on the bed and treating the wound with tinctures before applying a new bandage.

“Good morning, Rishid.” He greeted the tall man, who responded with a polite nod, and then looked to the falcon that watched him with his unusual eyes. “And good morning, Malik.”

He could swear he saw a flash of amusement cross the bird’s face.

Ryou walked out the door and saw Bakura sitting at the fireplace with a pan in hand. He looked even angrier than usual, watching the food in the pan like it had offended him somehow.

With a deep sigh, Ryou gathered his courage and approached the silver-haired man. He took a seat next to him and greeted him as well. “Good morning, Bakura.”

The other just replied with one of his usual grunts.

They were silent for a few moments, but Ryou decided there was no use in staling the upcoming conversation.

“We have to talk.”

Bakura didn't even care to look at him. “Do we?”

“Yes.” Ryou tried to sound as determined as he could. It was easier being self-confident around Malik. The blonde challenged him and tried to fluster him often, but he had a way about him that lifted Ryou's confidence to a new level. Bakura, though, still made him feel uneasy somehow.

“If I really want to help you I have to know everything about this curse, you know. I have to find its weak point.”

Bakura let out a sardonic laugh. “And why in the world do you think _you_ of all people can break this curse?”

Ryou winced but this time he didn't quit the conversation. “Because I think it was fate that brought me to you.”

That made Bakura actually look at him. He seemed to search Ryou's face for a hint that everything he had said was some sort of bad joke. But the mage just returned his gaze with unwavering determination.

“Fate, huh?”

“Yes, Bakura. Fate. You don't have to believe it, but I do. I always knew that a time would come where I would have to prove my worth. Let me help you. Please.”

Ryou paused a moment and he felt his expression turn sad.

“Maybe you have already given up, or maybe you think that you just need vengeance, and nothing else. But that's not the point here. Malik believes there is a way. I saw the hope in his eyes as I offered him my help. You don't have to do this for me, or even for you. But please do it for him.”

There was something in Bakura's eyes that Ryou had never seen before. For a moment he thought that the stubborn man would just drop the conversation and leave him, as he had done so often in the past. But this time, there was a pain in his gaze, and it seemed like something crumbled inside of him. Like Ryou had managed to finally knock a hole in one of his walls.

Bakura tossed the pan to the ground and stared into the embers in front of them as he started speaking.

“His name is Malik Ishtar. He is the son and the rightful successor of Lord Ishtar.”

Ryou's eyes widened at the sudden confession, but he stayed silent.

“I'm going to tell you what happened. And tell you everything about our curse. And after I do, you have to promise me you will try to find a way to break it.”

Ryou nodded in agreement and Bakura began to tell their story.

_The priest stood in the hallway of a small house, facing an old woman with a derogatory expression. “If you won't give me what I want, you will pay for it. For the sake of your village, hand the items over to me or I make sure this village is wiped from the earth entirely.”_

_The woman's gaze didn't falter. Her white hair cascaded down her back and her grey eyes were piercing and determined._

“_I will never allow you to lay hands on the items. I don't know who you really are, “priest”, but I swore that I would prevent the items from falling into the wrong hands.”_

_The little boy standing in the room looked up at the woman with frightened eyes. He hadn't seen more than eight winters, but he could tell that the man invading the house of his family was someone entirely evil. _

“_Grandma, what is this man talking about?”_

_A harsh voice cut into the room. “Bakura! I told you to stay with me! Grandma will deal with this.” It was the voice of his mother._

_The little boy didn't understand what the argument between the stranger and his grandmother was really about at that moment. He knew his village wielded some powerful items and it was the duty of his family to keep them safe. But he didn't understand what power they really had. And what a priest from a huge country would want to do with it._

_Bakura trusted his family. He trusted his mother and father when they told him there was no need to worry. He trusted his grandmother, who had told him that she would find a way to deal with the priest..._

_Three days later, the village was burning._

_The smell of blood and ash filled the air, and the smoke stung his eyes. He barely managed to hide himself in a corner as the soldiers slaughtered everyone. There was something hot on his cheek. He had received a bad cut under his right eye as he dodged a dagger from one of the men that had assaulted his village, before he managed to escape and hide under a carriage. The blood left a stream down his face._

_It was still a mystery to him how he had escaped. He remembered his grandmother casting some spell during her last moments, and he was sure it had something to do with why he had gone unnoticed by the murderers._

_He crouched under the carriage, the big wheel seeming to shield him from the eyes of the soldiers. His body shook from sobs as he heard the last of the people in his village die in pain._

_He swore he would find them. He would find the priest and his soldiers and he would make them pay for everything they had done._

_The years went by and Bakura grew up. He trained himself everyday. Surviving was his first mission, but the second was becoming strong enough to avenge his village._

_He became a thief, but not just any thief. He became the best thief known far and wide._

_It didn't take him long to discover where he could find the person responsible for his loss._

_It seemed the priest had joined forces with a powerful lord. Over the past few years they had managed to conquer half of the land with their army, and planned to somehow join forces with the neighboring kingdom as well. At least, that was what the people on the streets were talking about._

_Bakura planned his vengeance step by step. He needed to find a way into the court._

_He knew the priest and this lord would be well guarded, and it wouldn't be easy to reach his target. They also had the powerful items his village had guarded, and he needed to steal at least one of them back in order to face his enemy. Bakura definitely didn't plan on killing the bastard in his sleep. He wanted to do it with an audience. He wanted the people to know what the priest had done and he wanted to look him right in the eye when he died._

_It wasn't that hard to find a way to sneak around the court. Not for a master thief, at least._

_He liked to sneak into the palace gardens at night to observe the people in the court, the guards, everyone, along with their daily rituals. There, he planned his vengeance in silence._

_The moon shone high above the gardens where Bakura sat on a tree, the windows of the palace in his sight. He was wondering just how he could get his hands on the priest when something caught his eye._

_A figure in a dark purple hooded robe was wandering through the rose gardens. It almost looked like the person was determined to steal away into the night._

_Was it another thief?_

_A smirk found its way onto Bakura's face. Maybe he could have a little fun this night at least._

_He jumped down from the tree he was sitting on, and snuck up to the person._

_They looked around nervously from time to time, definitely searching for a way out of the gardens without running into one of the guards._

_If this was a thief, he certainly wasn't a very experienced one._

_Stepping as silently as a cat, he managed to sneak up right behind the hooded figure and with a swift movement, pressed his blade against the person's throat._

_The hooded person instantly froze, but his voice didn't sound very concerned as he spoke. He actually sounded quite arrogant and pissed._

“_If I were you, I wouldn't do such a thing if you want to keep living. But I will let this slide since it seems you are not aware of just who I am.”_

_Bakura raised his brows at that. “Maybe I don't care who you are.”_

_He felt the other man stiffen at that, but his voice didn't falter. “I’m warning you. Let me go.”_

_Bakura's grip on his sword loosened for a moment as he let out a chuckle, but before he could reply, the other kicked backwards and hit his shin hard. Bakura was startled enough that the hooded person was able to shove his sword arm away and duck past the blade. He started to run for the small path between the rose beds._

_Bakura was surprised for a moment at just how fast the other was, and how well he seemed to read his body language._

“_Interesting” was the first word that came to his mind and with a grin, he started to chase the hooded figure through the gardens._

_The other was fast, but Bakura managed to catch up quite easily. He had spent a lot of time sneaking through the gardens and planning his revenge in the last weeks, so he knew many of the tiny routes that let through the huge plant beds._

_He used a shortcut and, to the other’s surprise, appeared right in front of him in an instant. The person looked like he wanted to turn and run in another direction, but Bakura darted up and tackled him to the ground._

_He was straddling the taller person now, pinning him to the ground, still panting slightly from their chase._

_With a smirk, he ripped the hood from the other’s head. Suddenly, Bakura felt more than a little speechless. His breath stuck in his throat._

_The young man, roughly the same age as him, looked up at Bakura with wide eyes- the most beautiful eyes Bakura had ever seen in his life._

_The lavender gaze mercilessly drilled into his from a face Bakura could only describe as perfect. High cheekbones and cinnamon colored skin were lit by the moonlight in the most beautiful way Bakura could imagine. Golden hair framed the man's features and Bakura was suddenly aware he was still staring at the man like an idiot._

“_Who are you? You are not one of the guards?” The beautiful blond man beneath him frowned up at Bakura, his voice not sounding very impressed._

_Bakura blinked down at the other. “And I would bet that you are no thief.”_

_The blond chuckled. “No. I'm definitely not. But I assume you are. And I can also tell you must be a foreigner. You can't know much about the court if you don't recognize me.”_

_Bakura still blinked stupidly at the other. Of course he didn't pay much attention to most of the people that lived in the palace. He wasn't interested in them. Not even in the lord._

_He narrowed his eyes, annoyed by the other's arrogant behavior._

“_And who are you?”_

_The answer came with a cocky grin. “I am Malik Ishtar. The son of Lord Ishtar.”_

“_Hmm...” Bakura let out a hum and thought about it for a moment.”And why are you sneaking around the palace in the middle of the night like a burglar?”_

_Malik's pretty eyes narrowed dangerously. “That's none of your business. But I won't stop you. You can take all the gold you can find. I don't care. I have no use for it.”_

_Bakura felt surprise at the statement and still didn't move._

_Malik rolled his eyes. “But could you let go of me? I don't know what you want. I don't think you want to kill me. Maybe you could take me as a hostage, though that wouldn't even be necessary as I'm willing to show you the way to the gold if you want me to. But let go of me and stop staring at me like an idiot. This is really awkward, you know.”_

_Bakura felt his cheeks heat up and jumped up as if he had been bitten by a snake. Malik got to his feet and dusted his robe off._

_Bakura almost expected the guy to run away again, but nothing happened. Instead, Malik put his hands on his hips and examined him from head to toe._

“_Alright. So you are a thief, huh? Well, okay. Let's make a deal. If you help me sneak out of here without anyone noticing, I'll bring you to the chambers where we hide most of our treasures.”_

_Bakura blinked at Malik disbelievingly. “You... are willing to let me rob your family’s chambers just for getting you out of here? Where do you want to go anyway? And why can’t you just leave through the front door? Aren't you something similar to a prince?”_

_He could swear he saw a faint blush on Malik's dark cheeks. The blond looked away and rubbed his arm, apparently flustered. “It's not that easy. I can't just go anywhere I want!”_

_Bakura studied him for a moment. From the way he spoke, Malik sounded pretty pissed about being caged in the palace. The fact that he was willing to betray his family and let a thief into their chambers to steal the treasures was proof enough of that._

_Bakura still wasn't sure what to think, but the thought of this man being locked up somewhere, even if it was a palace, was almost unbearable._

_He found himself staring at Malik once again. He was beautiful as he stood in the moonlight, golden hair falling around his still slightly flustered face. Bakura wondered how Malik managed to look predatorily confident one moment but appear so vulnerable the next. Who could be so cruel as to cage someone this beautiful?_

_If anyone were to ask the thief why he did what he did next, he wouldn’t have been able to answer._

_With a sigh, he stepped up to Malik and took his hand. He started to drag him along the nearest small path between the rose beds._

“_What are you...?” Malik was startled at the sudden grip on his hand, but Bakura didn't let him protest._

“_I'm going to get you out of here. I know exactly where the guards are at this time and how to sneak past them.”_

_Malik let himself be dragged away without any further struggle, and Bakura even saw him smiling a bit._

“_But... the treasures...”_

“_I don't care for the treasures.”_

_Malik sounded confused at his answer._

“_But … you said you were a thief...”_

“_Well...” Bakura turned to look at Malik, a broad grin across his face, and winked.“If you ask me, it looks like I'm stealing the greatest treasure in the whole palace right now. I really must be the King of Thieves.”_


	7. Chapter 7

_Bakura led Malik through the rose garden and they snuck up to the palace guards managing to get outside without anyone noticing them._

_They walked along the narrow streets of the town until Bakura realized he was still holding Malik's hand and dropped it instantly as if burned. He ignored Malik's snicker at that._

_Bakura led him over the now almost empty marketplace deep into the town and saw Malik's eyes widen in awe._

“_You don’t come here very often, do you?” Bakura asked with a raised eyebrow._

“_No. I don’t leave the palace that much.” Malik took a look around, seemingly trying to memorize everything as well as he could. Then he looked back at Bakura walking by his side. “By the way, you didn't tell me your name.”_

“_You didn't ask.”_

“_But I’m asking now.” Malik smiled._

“_Hmm... don't you think it might be a bit too dangerous for me to spill my name to someone of the court? Maybe you can just call me the Thief King.” Bakura gave Malik a proud grin, but was greeted with a rather unimpressed face._

“_No way I'm going to call you by that ridiculous title.”_

_Bakura's grin dropped and he let out an annoyed huff. “Whatever.”_

“_Where are we going anyway?” Malik asked, looking around again._

_Bakura shrugged. “I don't know where YOU wanted to go, but I’m going to the next tavern.”_

_That was an idea Malik seemed to find very appealing. On the way there, they talked a bit about the things they saw in town and it dawned on Bakura that Malik really didn't get out much and probably had never seen a tavern from the inside._

_Once they arrived their destination, they took a seat on one of the benches and Bakura ordered some honey beer for them. He couldn't help but chuckle about Malik's stupidly excited expression about everything. As always, it was loud inside the tavern, a large part of the crowd seemed to have already drunk a lot of beer. Some guys and girls were playing instruments and singing. They started dancing and Malik laughed and clapped to the beat as he watched people dance both around and on the tables._

_The blond downed his honey beer in one go and got up. Bakura was startled and stared at Malik's outstretched hand like it belonged to a fairy that would lead him into oblivion if he wasn’t careful._

“_Come on! Dance with me!”_

_Bakura looked up at Malik as if he had grown two heads. “No way I'm going to do that.”_

_Malik rolled his eyes. “You really are the GRUMP KING, you know.”_

_With an annoyed look, Bakura watched Malik join the others and start to dance. His annoyance didn't last long as he saw how exuberant and happy the blond nuisance looked._

_Malik turned around with a smile and winked at him and Bakura somehow felt his stomach flutter._

_He let out a defeated huff, downed the rest of his own beer, and got up to join Malik._

_At first, they danced alongside the others, but somehow after a while, it felt like they were dancing alone. That dazzling smile, huge lavender eyes and hair golden and bright as the sun, filled up Bakura’s vision completely, and nothing else around him mattered anymore._

_After a few dances, they slumped down onto the bench again and, exhausted and happy, ordered another round of honey beer._

_They were both panting, but Malik let out a loud laugh. “That was fun!”_

_Bakura nodded in agreement. He caught his breath and looked at the other with a small smile._

“_It's Bakura.”_

“_Huh?” Malik turned to him with a questioning gaze._

“_My name is Bakura.”_

_Malik returned his smile. “Nice to meet you, Bakura – King of Thieves.”_

_They continued drinking their honey beers and Bakura examined Malik, curious and wondering what had gone wrong with the guy’s life._

“_Why do you never leave the palace? You seem to be quite open minded for a royal, you know.”_

_Malik's smile faded and he looked into his cup. “I'm simply not allowed to leave. My father is very strict and it's not suitable for someone like me to have contact with ...” he obviously didn't know how to end the sentence, so Bakura did it for him with a sarcastic smile._

“_Peasants? That's what we are to you, right?”_

_Malik's cheeks darkened, and he turned his gaze away._

“_It's not like I'm thinking that.”_

“_Well anyway, from now on, you are allowed to go wherever you want.”_

_Malik looked back at Bakura with a smirk forming on his lips. “Because you allow me to, your majesty?” he chuckled. “No. I have to go back. I can't just leave. I have my duties and I can't just abandon the court because some pretty stranger is whisking me away.”_

_Now it was Bakura who felt his cheeks grow hot at the compliment. He grabbed his cup and took huge gulp, muttering a curse under his breath._

_They stayed in the tavern for a few hours until Bakura led Malik back. He still thought it was utterly stupid to go back to the palace willingly, but Malik couldn't be convinced otherwise._

_So he snuck him back into the rose garden again. They stood in front of each other in awkward silence._

“_Thank you, Bakura.”_

_Bakura answered with one of his trademark grunts, but was surprised by Malik's soft lips on his cheek. His hand shot up to the spot on his cheek that suddenly felt very warm and he blinked stupidly at the laughing blond. Malik turned and walked inside the palace, leaving a dumbstruck Bakura behind._

_Two nights later, Bakura was lurking by the tree in the gardens again. He had tried to make his plans as always, but he found his thoughts suddenly turning to a certain blond man, making it quite hard to concentrate. He would definitely claim, even to himself, that he chose the gardens because it was convenient to be as near to his target as he could. Plus, they might help him think._

_If he was honest with himself, he had to admit that he was possibly hoping to run into Malik again._

_Bakura sat on the tree, immersed in his thoughts, when a voice startled him so badly that he almost fell from the branch he was sitting on._

“_Looking for anything in particular up there?”_

_He grabbed the trunk under him so as not to fall off and cursed under his breath as he heard the other's chuckle. His heart was pounding and he wasn't that sure if it was because of the shock or the voice itself._

_Today, Malik was wearing beige and golden garments instead of the purple robe. He climbed up the tree and sat next to Bakura with a smile. “Waiting for the treasures to fly up your tree, oh great King of Thieves?”_

_Bakura snorted and rolled his eyes. “I told you before, I'm not interested in the treasures.”_

“_Ah... I see. So you just like the sight of rose beds at night. Romantic.”_

_Bakura started feeling genuinely annoyed at Malik's bad, sarcastic jokes and his cocky grin. That perfect, dazzling..._

“_I'm interested in a person. A certain person. I am here to get my vengeance and I won't leave until I have it.” Bakura winced. He wasn't sure why he had spilled something like that to a stranger. He definitely hadn’t thought about it beforehand, and just wanted the other to keep quiet._

_Malik watched him with a deep frown, his voice changing to a more serious tone._

“_If you are after my father, I have to tell you... I will not allow anything to happen to him...”_

“_It's not your father!” Bakura interrupted Malik. “It's someone else. A man more evil than anyone could imagine.”_

_Malik blinked at him. “You mean... Priest Akhenaden, right?”_

_Bakura nodded shortly. “He... he killed my family. Extinguished my whole village. I am the only one who survived and I will not rest until that monster gets what he deserves.”_

_Malik fell silent for a few moments and then nodded. “I will help you.”_

_Bakura thought he had misheard the sentence and looked at Malik with wide, disbelieving eyes._

_Malik suddenly seemed determined. “I know Akhenaden is a monster. I'm not even sure he is human at all. He's surrounded by a dark power and everything went wrong after he came to us with these items and made an alliance with my father. My father was strict, but every since the priest came, he isn't himself anymore. The only thing he's interested in now is power, and he doesn't care if the people outside the palace are suffering for it. I'm sorry for what happened to your village._

_I will help you to kill Akhenaden for the sake of your people and my own family.”_

_Bakura was amazed and suddenly the idea of having an ally didn't feel that bad. He smiled at Malik._

“_Good... then now... tell me about the priest. Everything you know, and what you know about the insides of the palace. We need to make a plan.”_

_After that night, they met frequently. The rose gardens were a good meeting point since at night no one would be nearby even the guards only came by from time to time._

_They sat between the rose beds on two little stones, planning strategies to get them close to Priest Akhenaden. However, they talked a lot about other things too. About their dreams and hopes after they achieved their goal. _

_Bakura told Malik about his past and his family, about his life before and after Priest Akhenaden's visit in his village. _

_And Malik told him things about his childhood and what happened after the Priest came to the court and changed everything. _

_They often got distracted by simply speaking to each other, and their frequent banter was something Bakura missed in the nights they didn´t meet. Sometimes, they also snuck out to have some fun in town. Suddenly, vengeance didn't seem like such a dark and dull task anymore and was brightened a lot with a partner._

_One night, they were lying on the ground between the rose beds and looking up the starlit sky, holding hands and immersed in their thoughts._

_Bakura didn't know when they started doing that, but he didn't bother to complain since he already loved the soft, warm feeling of Malik's hand in his._

“_Do you think you will be free when we finally accomplish our plan?”_

_Malik shrugged. “I think it's far more likely that father will let me decide what I want on my own. At least I hope he will be willing to listen to someone else than the Priest again.”_

“_It's really a pity.” Bakura sighed. “Sometimes you remind me of these roses, you know. Like a flower, nourished and cherished in a bed. But you have to be careful if you want to handle it, because of the thorns.” He smirked._

_Malik shifted to look at Bakura with raised eyebrows. “So you compare me to a delicate flower?”_

_Bakura frowned. “A flower with thorns.”_

_Malik shot him a mocking grin. “Yeah I heard that. A beautiful flower. That's what you compare me too.”_

_Bakura rolled his eyes. “Okay... Maybe a flower wasn't the right comparison... How about. A bird. You're like a bird in a golden cage. And instead of wasting slowly away, you should be free and flying.”_

_Malik's grin didn't falter. “Oh. So now I'm a bird. Tell me, Bakura...” he propped himself up a bit and leaned close until his face was hovering right over Bakura's.“What kind of bird am I? A cute little one, like a sparrow? Or am I more like the beautiful peacocks some kings have in their gardens?”_

_Bakura frowned up at Malik, who was obviously trying to make fun of him. Nonetheless, he thought for a moment and answered seriously. “I think you would be a bird of prey. Like a hawk or a falcon. Proud and beautiful.”_

_Malik's grin disappeared. He blinked down at Bakura, amazed by the seriousness in his tone._

_His lips parted and his eyes slid half shut._

_Bakura couldn't tell what exactly had happened. Everything around him seemed to evaporate the moment he felt Malik's lips brushing his own._

_The kiss was soft and delicate, the touch of their lips light, but for Bakura it felt like they were burning up. He thought he could feel little jolts of electricity shoot through his body._

_Malik pulled away just as quickly as he had closed the gap. His eyes were wide, and he obviously wasn't sure what to do next._

_Bakura felt dizzy and pulled himself into a sitting position. Malik copied his movement, looking flustered all of a sudden. “I.. I'm...”_

_Bakura looked at him and prevented him from ending the sentence by sneaking his hand around Malik's head and pulling him close again._

_This time, the kiss was rougher. Malik's hands came up to cup Bakura's face. It was sloppy at first, clumsy and inexperienced, but every brush of the other's lips against his own made Bakura shiver in delight._

_He felt Malik's tongue dragging along his lower lip and Bakura gladly opened his mouth to invite the other inside._

_Their tongues touched lightly at first, but then the kiss deepened and got more passionate. Malik shifted and after a few seconds, ended up sitting in Bakura’s lap._

_Both of them clung to each other for the rest of the night. They changed positions from time to time and muttered sappy nonsense into each other’s ears, until they recognized that the sun was rising and they had to part._

_Bakura realized that their meetings changed after that night. From time to time, he became awfully aware of how their planning stagnated, but it was simply too easy to get carried away by the kisses and the touching that alternated between soft exchanges or passionate make-out sessions between the flower beds._

_For the greater part of his life, Bakura had been alone, immersed in his vengeance and it was a new pleasant feeling to have someone at his side who he could share all his pain with._

_He ran his hands down Malik's silky blond locks and caught himself thinking about their future. Bakura usually didn't think about stuff like that. He planned his revenge and pictured his victory often while he was alone, but he wasn't alone anymore. At least not for the moment. He hadn't been emotionally attached to any other person since his whole family died and it was a foreign, though pleasant feeling._

_Malik had the ability to break the walls Bakura had set up around himself and he'd found his way easily into Bakura's heart._

_But Bakura was also aware where his partner had come from and that even after they fulfilled their plan they might be separated again. This left him with a strange pain in his heart._

“_Malik... if this all comes to an end soon... what will you do afterwards?” Bakura asked as they lay next to each other while watching the stars._

_Malik frowned at the question. “What do you mean? I think I will help my father get the land restored and make it a good place for the people living in it again.”_

_Bakura nodded. “But... what will become of us?” He winced slightly at his own question. _

_Bakura definitely didn't want to sound like a lovestruck sap, but he figured it would be better to talk about these things before everything came crashing down on them._

_He felt how Malik began to tense up and waited patiently for him to think about his question._

“_I... don't know.”_

_Bakura responded with a grunt. That was the answer he was expecting, but the sting he felt in his heart told him it was not the one he had hoped for. Suddenly Malik shifted to look right into his eyes._

“_I've never met anyone like you. And I have no intend to let you go again.” His eyes went softer than Bakura had ever seen them before and a small smile formed on his lips. “I love you, Bakura. And no obligations on this earth can change that. I don't know what it is that awaits us in the future. But I will stay with you.”_

_Bakura blinked at Malik and saw no evidence of a lie in his eyes. He didn't know how to respond to something like that._

“_You are a fucking sap. Stop it. That doesn't suit you.”_

_The chuckle of the man next to him made him flustered, but he also couldn't deny the warm feeling that spread in his chest._

_The weeks went by and one night Bakura was ready to put their plans into action._

_They had everything planned out. Bakura could sneak into the palace and finally face his enemy to get him the treatment he deserved. They needed one of the items to get enough power to defeat whatever dark magics Priest Akhenaden would set against them. And they needed to free Malik's father from whatever hold over him the dark priest possessed. They were sure that together, they would accomplish their goals._

_That night, Malik looked uncomfortable as they met. Something was off with him, Bakura could tell. He started to lash out on a tree and screamed in anger._

“_What the hell is going on with you?!”_

_Malik panted. His anger faded and he turned to Bakura with a sad expression._

“_My father... He...” he groaned in annoyance before he continued his sentence. “He set up a marriage for me. He said it was time to get me married to that princess of the other kingdom so we can seal an alliance with them. He didn't even ask if I was okay with that! He just threatened me and told me to do what he commands me to, otherwise... Otherwise he would abandon my older brother.” He stopped a moment. “I told you about Rishid. He's adopted and therefore not a rightful successor of our family.”_

_Bakura thought a moment about the things Malik had thrown at him._

“_Malik. It's time. You have to get your hands on the item your father possesses. That rod. If you manage that, you will lead me through the palace. I will put an end to this. There is no other way. We have to do it now. If Akhenaden gets a hold over the other kingdom, however he will do that, we will all be doomed.”_

_Malik blinked at him in confusion. “So that's all you have to say about that?”_

_Bakura felt anger rise in him. “Malik it's all we can do! We have to strike now or never! And also it's the only way to get you out of this situation! I will never allow you to get married to a stupid damsel from another kingdom!”_

_Malik stood still a moment before his face split into his trademark grin. “I knew you were just as much a sap as me.”_

_Bakura rolled his eyes at the comment. “Whatever. Let's get this over with. And I swear to god, Malik, if you continue those hilarious comments I might bring you to that princess on my own and hand you over happily.”_

_Malik's grin didn't falter. “I'm sure you never would do that.”_

_They were continuing their usual banter when Bakura swore he saw a figure lurking in the shadows. But he didn't spare it another thought._

_He bit out his goodbye to his partner and made his way out of the gardens._

_On his way home he walked over the marketplace, immersed in his thoughts, when suddenly something hard hit him over the head and everything around him instantly went black._

_Bakura awoke with a bad headache in a dark room that was only lit by a torch outside of the door in front of him. The door appeared to be made of prison bars._

_He got up with a groan, his blurry vision needing a moment to adjust, and he looked around confusedly._

_There was a figure sitting in front of the bars with a mischievous smile on their face. He recognized the clothing as some from the court's soldiers and narrowed his eyes._

“_Ah. You are awake finally. I had wondered how long you wanted to sleep.”_

_Bakura didn't like the arrogant tone of the person in the slightest so he shot him an unimpressed stare._

“_I think I have a right to know with whom I have the pleasure of speaking to, especially after you granted me that deep of a sleep and a hell of a headache.”_

_The person was laughing at him and Bakura felt anger rise in his chest._

“_I am Captain Shada, commander of the royal court army. It was my order to bring you here. It seems both the Lord and the High Priest would like to talk to you.”_

_Bakura felt furious at the mention of the Priest and also hated himself for getting distracted enough to be kidnapped by his enemy._

_He cringed but tried to find his composure as he spoke to his opponent. “Well. I don't really know what grants me the honor of speaking to them. And I don't know what I should have done to get treatment like this. Maybe you mistook me for someone else.”_

“_I don't think so.” the man sounded nonchalant, which pissed Bakura off even more._

“_You were seen sneaking to the palace gardens more than once. I think it's reasonable to say that we can't allow thieves in our palace, knowing how many treasures we hide here.”_

_Bakura raised his eyebrows at this. So they had been seen. At least he had been seen. He cursed at how stupid and careless he and Malik had gotten over the last weeks._

_But Bakura didn't intend to drop his guard. “Well. I don't know this person you think I am, but I don't think it's that much of a crime to admire a palace’s gardens. Even if I snatch a flower here and there, this treatment seems to be a bit exaggerated, don't you think?”_

_Captain Shada gave him a sardonic smile. “I would say that depends on the flower.”_

_Bakura frowned and cursed inwardly that this asshole seemed to know more than Bakura would like him to._

_The prison bars opened and the still swaying Bakura was dragged rather unceremoniously out of his chamber by some guards._

_They led him in chains down the huge corridors of the palace and into a huge hall, were he was greeted by the face that had haunted every one of his nightmares since he could think._

_Bakura felt his blood boiling and almost didn't recognize the other people in the hall._

_He took a brief look around and saw Malik standing next to his father with a horrified expression on his face._

“_Is this the thief?” Bakura heard Lord Ishtar's voice cutting through the room. Malik tried to keep himself together again and stood silent._

“_Yes, my Lord.” Shada answered._

_Priest Akhenaden closed the distance between him and Bakura with an unreadable expression. He walked up until he was standing right in front of him, examining Bakura from head to toe until his face split into an ugly smile._

“_I should have known there was one of you left. The hair, the eyes... you can't really hide where you come from, child of Kul Elna.” _

_The Priest pointed at the old scar that crossed Bakura's face under his right eye. “But it seems we left a remembrance off our visit back then.”_

_Bakura narrowed his eyes dangerously. He knew it would have been better to stay silent, to just deny everything and talk himself out of the situation. But his heart rebelled in his chest at the very sight of the man in front of him._

_He pulled his head back a little and spat right into the priests face and grinned._

_The Priest stepped back a little and wiped his face with the sleeve of his robe in disgust._

“_I see. You came for me, didn't you? And it also seems you found an ally.” He turned to look at Malik who sent him a stoic gaze, while his father’s features darkened._

_They knew. Bakura was aware of that and he would bet Malik was too._

“_So I guess it's time to end this pitiful charade. Our dear Malik has duties to follow and we can't effort to let him get distracted anymore.”_

_Malik eyes went cold as he raised his voice at the Priest. “I won't under any circumstances follow whatever duties you force on me. And I command you to release that man. He hasn't done anything.” He stepped forward but his father held him back with a firm grip, his expression dark and unyielding._

_Akhenaden laughed._

“_Oh, you will see. You will do everything we want you to.” He turned to face the guards. “Kill him right away. I want Malik to see what we do with people that don't follow our god given reign.”_

_The guards pulled Bakura into a kneeling position on the ground and one of them raised a big sword over his head._

_Malik's scream of agony split the air in the hall. “No!”_

_Bakura saw Malik free himself from the firm grip of his startled father. He darted through the hall and stopped right in front of Bakura, who watched him with wide, feared eyes._

_Malik faced the Priest with more determination in his gaze than Bakura had ever seen in it before. With a swift movement he grabbed one of the guards' sword and held it up to his own throat._

“_Malik!” Lord Ishtar yelled, his expression frantic and horrified._

“_If you kill him, you lose me as well.” Bakura could see tears stinging in Malik's big lavender eyes. “I am not willing to live anymore if you take him away from me.”_

_Priest Akhenaden's face displayed his anger. He turned to look at Lord Ishtar, the pawn he had played so well in this game._

_He turned back to Bakura and Malik with an annoyed expression._

“_It looks like I can't allow that. But... well. If you want to be together that much, we shall grant you that.”_

_Bakura was confused and could see Malik felt the same as he lowered the sword from his throat._

_The Priest stepped up to Lord Ishtar. “My Lord. I'm sorry, it must be hard for you to know you raised such a disobedient heir. I will spare both their lives. But if you grant me the opportunity, I will give them the punishment they deserve. Maybe someday your son will see his failure and come back to us on his own.”_

_Lord Ishtar hesitated. He looked at his son a last time before he turned to Priest Akhenaden again and agreed with a final nod._

_Bakura wasn't sure how, but suddenly the priest was surrounded by a dark aura, shadows creeping out from everywhere. He held one of the items, the cursed Ring, high above him and started chanting a spell. Bakura felt a harsh ache in his breast, like his heart would burst any moment, and then saw Malik collapsing to his knees in front of him._

_The Priest stepped closer again and finished his chanting. The ugly smile was back on his face. “My dear Malik. You wanted to be free so badly. Now I give you the chance to feel freer than ever before.”_

_Malik was suddenly surrounded by an odd golden glow. His eyes, the eyes Bakura loved so much, were wide with fear and the next second it seemed like he had disappeared. But that wasn't true._

_A falcon sat in front of Bakura. His plumage was as golden as the sunlight and his eyes the color of lavender blossoms._

“_What... what have you done?” Bakura's voice was a mere whisper as he held out his hand and let the confused, screeching bird climb onto his wrist, his own eyes wide with shock._

“_Take him with you. I let you go. And if you ever come back at me or annoy me in any way, I will make sure to get our best hunters to cull him.”_

_The Priest turned and led Lord Ishtar out._

_Bakura took the falcon and was led by the guards far away from the town until they released him from the chains._

_He hid in a nearby forest, still shocked and unable to make a sound. He felt defeated and even cried for a while._

_He sat in silence until the sun started to go down. Malik, the falcon, sat in front of him, not able to comfort him the way he desperately wished to. _

_Then there was that faint glow again. It got stronger with every minute the sun sank below the horizon._

_And suddenly Malik stood in front of him, confused and with sparkling eyes._

“_Bakura! What... what happened? What did he do?”_

_Bakura looked at Malik with his mouth open and flung himself around him with a sob. He took Malik´s face in his hands and planted a relieved kiss on his lips. They parted and before Bakura could speak the atmosphere around them changed again._

_A now silver glow surrounded them and Bakura realized this time it was him glowing._

_After a few seconds he found himself in the body of a big wolf with a silver-white fur. He looked up at Malik, standing in front of him with his hands clasped over his mouth in panic._

_Slowly Malik crumbled to his knees until he was eye to eye with Bakura._

_A tear rolled down his cheek as he raised his hand to run it through the fur of the animal in front of him. “I see what he did to us. I'm so sorry, Bakura.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiatus: there will be no chapter during the Christmas Holidays!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which a new character makes their appearance ;)

Ryou listened carefully while Bakura told their story. He couldn't imagine the pain Bakura and Malik went through every day and every night. It made him speechless and he felt his heart clench. At the end of the story, tears were running down Ryou's face and he looked utterly heartbroken.

Bakura hadn`t turned his gaze on him since he’d started to speak. He watched the fire in front of him and somewhere in between he seemed totally lost in memories. The pain and anger were very prominent on his face, but after ending the story he dared to look into Ryou's face again.

Seeing the young mage next to him obviously crying confused him. “Why the hell are you crying now?!”

Ryou was sobbing softly. “Everything you told me is just so sad. Bakura I wasn't aware... You must be hurting so much...”

Bakura watched Ryou with an open mouth for a moment before he shook his head. “Stop being so pathetic.” He turned to the fire again, but his expression wasn’t actually as harsh as his words anymore. Ryou realized he really might have broken the wall between them, but he knew Bakura must feel very uncomfortable showing this much emotion, so he decided to let him be and concentrate on his task.

With the sleeve of his robe Ryou wiped off his tears and spoke again. “So... if I understood that right, it was that priest from your past who did this to you?”

Bakura nodded and answered, his voice almost sounding like a growl. “Yes. Priest Akhenaden. I can't tell you a lot about him and I don't even know where he came from. All I know is that he needs to die.”

Ryou's eyes narrowed at the last sentence. “Excuse me, Bakura. I understand very well that you want your vengeance on that man but I'm afraid we can't just go kill him. The curse he cast on you is a very powerful one. I think if we can't find the right moment or a way to get rid of it before you kill that Priest, we might never be able to break it.”

Bakura looked up at Ryou with a surprised expression . It seemed he was so occupied in planning his vengeance that he never considered the death of the priest might also mean the curse could never be broken. He clearly hated to admit that Ryou was right, but with a deep sigh he gave in. “Alright. So do you have a plan?”

Ryou smiled at Bakura. He felt relieved that the grumpy man finally started to trust him.

“I'm not sure... If I remember right, there are a few moments each night that you’re able to see each other in your human forms. Am I right?”

“Yes.” Bakura answered, pain obvious in his face now, “it's the moment before the sun either comes up or goes down. A cruel joke from an even crueler bastard.”

Ryou fell silent for a moment before vocalizing his thoughts. “I'm not sure if that really is a joke. He wanted to part you two forever. It might seem cruel, but on the other hand it strengthened your bond even more. I don't think that this was what Akhenaden intended to do.

At least, Lord Ishtar had surely wanted his son to just fly back into the palace. I'm totally convinced, Bakura, this is a fault in the structure of the curse itself. It might be the key to break it.”

Bakura blinked at Ryou disbelievingly, but the more he thought about his words the more plausible they sounded.

“I think you might be right. The priest and Lord Ishtar wanted to discourage Malik and wanted him to come back to them as soon as he realized his _mistake_.” A smirk crossed Bakura´s features at the thought of his lover. “But there was no way Malik would do that. He is much stronger than they would have given him credit. And really stubborn too.”

The smirk disappeared as another thought crossed his mind.“That would mean if I'd manage to kill Akhenaden in this time, we might be able to break the curse?”

“Uhm... something like that I guess.” Ryou still felt sure about the killing thing, but he also had to admit he didn't see another way to get rid of the curse _and_ the priest himself. That man seemed to be purely evil and deserved nothing else than death.

Bakura`s following laugh sounded desperate. “Chances are thin we make that work. It's really just a few moments we have as humans together. We would be forced to catch the right moment to strike and manage to kill him right then and there. And if we fail...”

“Yes. You´re right.” Ryou´s expression grew thoughtful for a moment, before his eyes widened again. “But maybe... if we could find a way to extend that moment somehow...”

Bakura looked at Ryou with a raised eyebrow. “And how do you want to accomplish that, _you genius_?”

“...With magic?”

Bakura almost knew that this would be Ryou's answer, since it seemed to be his favored answer to everything. But Bakura still doubted the young mage's skills would be enough to help them. He rolled his eyes and got up to get inside the cabin again.

“Wait Bakura!” Ryou got up as well and grabbed Bakura's arm to make him listen. “I know you are not very convinced of that. But I still believe there is a reason why the both of us met. There _must_ be a reason. I will find out how we can break that curse. But maybe we don't have to do it all alone.”

That actually made Bakura freeze in his motion and look at Ryou again. “What do you mean?”

Ryou was relieved he got the other’s attention back and let go of his arm while he spoke further. “I know someone. A very powerful someone. She's a great magician or to be precise, she's more like an oracle. She can see things others might never be able to see. She can see things in the future and look through someone's past. I'm sure she will be able to help us find out what we need to know.”

Bakura's eyes narrowed a moment. “And why do you think she’ll help us? Maybe she's also working with the priest or some of his men.”

Ryou smirked. “There’s no way she would do that. She would never work for anyone. But I'm sure she's willing to help us.”

Bakura still didn't seem very convinced, but he also knew that their options were few. “Go get your bag and wait for me in front of the cabin. You will show me where to find that woman.”

With that he left Ryou and went inside.

They walked through the wide woods for two days now and Bakura's mood dropped from hour to hour. Malik accompanied them, sitting on either Bakura's or Ryou's shoulder or on Diabound's back, as with the wound in his shoulder he was still barely able to fly.

Of course Bakura had insisted Malik should stay at the cabin with Rishid, while he and Ryou went searching for the woman Ryou had talked about. But as Bakura had mentioned before, Malik was indeed stubborn. The falcon sat persistently on Diabound's back and didn't intend to stay at the cabin in the slightest. Bakura tried to shoo him away and even yelled at him, but there was no way he could convince his lover to stay. Ryou watched the whole scene with an amused smile. Though he knew the truth about these two now, it was still quite a funny sight: the grumpy, intimidating looking man in his dark hood, yelling desperately at the bird in front of him.

That was the reason Bakura was already slightly angry when they started their journey. It didn't get any better after Ryou revealed to them that he didn’t know exactly where to find the magician. The woods were big and it might take them days to find her.

Though Ryou had been getting used to Bakura's bad moods, this time the man also seemed tensed up, which made Ryou feel more uncomfortable than usual. He understood that Bakura hoped to find the answers they needed and that he surely hoped he got closer to his goal now.

Nonetheless, Ryou was kinda happy when the night fell. Malik sat at the fire which Bakura had started before he transformed, while Ryou prepared some food for them.

“So. About that magician... Who is she? And how are you so convinced she will help us?”, Malik asked. Ryou smiled at the thought of her. “I just know. She is a friend. She once helped me out of a really delicate situation and she let me stay for a while with her and taught me some basic magic stuff. She always told me she was convinced that I would do something very important someday.” His smile wavered for a moment and went unsure. “I never believed her. I was a petty magician against her.”

Then Ryou looked up into Malik's eyes. “But now... Now I think I really can do something important.”

Malik smiled at him. “Okay. I believe you have good knowledge when it comes to people. I trust you, so I'm also willing to trust her.” He looked up at the moon shining above them and then at the almost suspicious-looking wolf next to him. “I know you're still not convinced. But there must be a way out of this mess. It just has to be. And when the time comes we’ll kill Akhenaden and get your revenge for your village.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Malik might have caught a glimpse of Ryou flinching. He turned to the mage again. “I know you are not someone who supports a murder. You are still a kind person, though life hasn't treated you that well most of the time.” The next moment Malik's eyes went threateningly small and his voice turned almost icy. “But trust me, Ryou, some creatures on this planet deserve nothing else than death. This man didn't just ruin our lives. He also corrupted my father and led our land into poverty and kingdom into fear. I can't and _won't_ accept that.”

Ryou swallowed hard but nodded in response. “I know that. And I will help you. Even if it means we have to kill him.” The two of them spent the rest of the night speaking about much lighter topics before going to sleep.

Early in the morning they continued their journey. They came to a small stream and took a break to fill their water bottles. Something in the trees above them caught Bakura's eye and his eyes narrowed, suspicious.

Ryou recognized this and frowned. “What's wrong?” He looked up the tree and saw a crow sitting on a branch and looking down at them. It wasn't a normal crow. Not only did it have eyes that glowed red but it also had three - the third shone right in the middle of its forehead. Ryou's own eyes widened immediately.

“I don't have a lot of knowledge about animals in general, but if you ask me, this is not an ordinary crow. Am I right?” Bakura's voice sounded sarcastic.

Ryou shook his head and smirked. “You are totally right, Bakura. It seems that the one we are searching for has found us first.”

Bakura frowned at this for a moment until the realization hit him. “Oh.”

The black bird spread its wings and flapped to another branch a few feet away. It looked back to the figures at the stream, obviously expecting them to follow.

“I guess we should follow.” Ryou said, and started moving in direction of the crow. Bakura took Diabound's reins and followed the mage. They trailed the crow through the woods alongside the stream until they came to a big cave. The bird didn´t hesitate to fly inside and was instantly swallowed by the blackness. Bakura frowned again. “Well... could be just me, but doesns' it seem like a very bad idea to follow a three eyed crow into dark, cold cave?”

Ryou chuckled. It was kinda funny to see Bakura just slightly uncomfortable at something, though he also noticed Malik looking more than tense. With a smile, he soothed them. “Trust me. Nothing will happen to us. I think she just needed to hide somewhere since this land isn't safe for people like us anymore.”

Together they stepped into the darkness of the cave. Darkness surrounded them while they took their first steps. Just when Bakura was up to one of his sarcastic comments, light flooded the cave. Torches on either side of the cave walls lit up and drowned the path in a nice, warm light.

They followed the way deeper inside the cave until they reached a part that looked like a big room. Candles were burning in every corner. There was a table with some chairs and the walls were covered with shelves that were full of old books or glasses and bottles with different looking contents. There was something that looked like a stove and a pretty woman with long black hair and a quite simple looking beige dress stood in front of it, preparing something that smelled like tea.

“Hello Ryou. It´s so nice to see you again.” The woman was smiling warmly as she turned to face them. She stepped forward and handed Ryou the cup of tea. “I was expecting you to come soon.”

Bakura rolled his eyes and couldn't hold back a sarcastic comment. “Is that so? So what? You saw us coming through your magic orb, witch?”

The face of the woman immediately turned into an annoyed expression as she faced the grinning man behind Ryou.

“Quite the joker, aren't we?”

“Excuse me, Ishizu. Bakura isn't much used to magic. I'm sure he didn't intend to be rude.”

Bakura opened his mouth to say something but Ishizu was faster and surprised him with her next remark. “Oh yes, he did intend to. That's how he is, I suppose. But I will deal with it.”

She gestured to the table with the chairs. “Please take a seat and rest for a while; you must be exhausted from the journey. I will answer all the questions you have.” She took a look at the falcon and something in her eyes felt strange to Ryou. He couldn't grasp it, but it almost looked as if she knew Malik.

They sat at the table and waited for Ishizu to pour Bakura some wine and gave Malik some water in a flat bowl. Ishizu took a seat beside them and started speaking without any further ceremony. “So you came to ask me what I know about that priest? And if I have an idea how to break the curse?”

Bakura drank from his cup and looked at her with a surprised expression. Almost reflexively, his hand wandered to the belt where his dagger sat. “How the hell do you know about these things?! Are you working with them?! Tell me!”

Ryou placed a soothing hand on Bakura´s shoulder though Ishizu didn´t seem to be very impressed by Bakura´s behavior.

“It's quite understandable you're this suspicious about strangers. But I can assure you, I'm not working together with anyone. Especially not someone like Priest Akhenaden.”

Though Bakura's grip on the dagger loosened, he still looked tense and suspicious, but at least it seemed he was willing to listen. “Alright, witch. What do you know about that priest?”

Ishizu's eyes narrowed threateningly and the aura around her changed to an intimidating one. She drew closer to Bakura, her voice a growl. “Call me a witch once again and I crush you between my fingers, thief.”

She looked that frightening, even Ryou backed up a bit, though Bakura just flinched and stared at her with an unwavering expression. It seemed that, even if he wasn't afraid of her, he’d at least gained a bit of respect. He let go of the dagger completely and leaned back into his chair with arms crossed over his chest.

“Okay fine. So, mind telling us what you know? We don't have much time to spend.”

Ishizu relaxed too and started telling them what she knew.

“I was a priestess, with magical powers, long ago. I knew Akhenaden since I grew up in the same temple he served. He was a responsible and wise priest and everyone looked up to him. One day, he came back from a journey and seemed to have changed completely. He was surrounded by a dark aura, though most of the other priests and priestesses didn´t recognize it. But I did. My magical powers and perception were above average from the beginning. That's why I became a priestess of the temple at such a young age. To me, it seemed that something must have happened to him. He started speaking of gaining more power and even mentioned the cursed items. Everyone knew that if they fell into the wrong hands, they could do a lot of harm. But Akhenaden tried to convince everyone that we, as priests and magicians, could use them to restore the lands and end all the suffering.”

Ishizu's grip on her cup fastened and her gaze went darker as she talked further. “After observing him a while, I came to the conclusion that Akhenaden wasn't the same as before. Something must have possessed his soul. Something dark and evil. I tried to warn the others about him, but they wouldn't listen to such a young priestess. I was barely more than a kid; a talented one, but still. So I tried to find out what Akhenaden was up to on my own.”

Ishizu's eyes locked with Bakura's and her expression turned sad. “I found out that he planned to get the items for himself. They were stored in a small, plain village where no one would suspect such powerful things to be. In this village lived some of the best magicians we knew. They were masters in creating magical barriers and healers that exceeded everyone near and far. It was your grandmother, Bakura, that we trusted to protect the items.”

Bakura's eyes went wide at the sudden revelation, but still he kept quiet.

“You were so young. I guess you didn't know much about the powers your family possessed.”

Bakura shook his head slightly. “No. I mean, I knew grandma was a great healer and I heard rumors about the items once in a while. But I didn`t realize she was a real magician, like you put it.”

Ishizu nodded and continued. “She was. And a highly respected one, too. I wanted to warn the people in Kul Elna to save them. But unfortunately, when I arrived in the village everyone was already dead. I was too late.”

Ishizu's gaze went down and her voice sounded pitiful, as if she'd blame herself for the tragedy that happened back then. Ryou laid a hand on her shoulder and whispered a small “_It's alright_” while Bakura still sat in front of her with an unreadable expression.

After a few moments Ishizu collected herself again, and continued. “I needed to stop him no matter the cost, that was sure. So I searched for Akhenaden and confronted him on my own. I wanted him to let go of his plans and to hand the items over to the elders of the temple. But of course he - or more likely _it_, whatever Akhenaden was now - didn't listen. He forced me to use my powers but countered with one of the items. I could dodge most of the attack, but still it caused me to lose a lot of my powers. He blocked them, somehow. From then on I was only able to use simple magic and some healing powers. My ability to see the future was lost as well. I still see things, but they are often unclear. It´s like watching through a veil. I have visions from time to time, too, but it's nothing against how it was before.”

They listened to Ishizu's story in silence and after she finished, Ryou started speaking first. “I see. So you actually tried to stop the priest or whatever he is now, but he was already too powerful. But how did you know about the curse? What _is_ it you know?”

Ishizu nodded. “Right, the curse. I always hoped to find a way to stop Akhenaden someday, and I have my eyes and ears everywhere in the land.” She gestured to the crow sitting in the corner of the cave's room. “There were a lot of rumors. About a great thief. The King of Thieves, they called him.” With that she looked at Bakura again before her gaze wandered to the falcon. “And about a disobedient prince. I also heard about a powerful curse, more powerful than any before.”

She turned her eyes back at Ryou. “As I said, I don't have my full powers, but I have visions. I had visions about a powerful white mage whose light shines through the darkness brighter than the sun. And the moment I saw you, Ryou, the light in your heart that shines through you... I knew it must be you and hope grew within me again.”

Ryou's eyes went wide with disbelief at Ishizu's words, but she continued. “I know you don't believe that much in yourself. But trust me, Ryou, I know you are destined for something great. I didn't know how and when, but there was no doubt for me that it was you. I tried to find out the missing pieces in this and what you might need to discover the right path. Then one night, I had another vision about a big silver-white wolf and a golden falcon. A thief during the day and a beautiful prince wandering the night. And it was clear that it was important that the three of you would meet. I wanted to find out how I might help, but it seems they found you on their own.”

Ryou was speechless and definitely needed a moment to process what he was hearing. He still doubted that his powers might be enough to fight against someone - something? Something as evil as Akhenden. But he trusted in Ishizu and her powers. It just had to be true.

His expression became determined, and he looked at Bakura and Malik before turning back to Ishizu again. “Okay, then. Let's talk about the curse.”

“Well,” Ishizu started. “Every mage, priest, and even demon has their weakness. We need to find out Akhenaden's, or at least a weakness in his curse.”

At that, Ryou's face split into a wide grin. “Then I think I have good news for you! Now it's on us to tell you our story.”

Ryou told Ishizu how they met and Bakura told her a short version of his and Malik´s story and everything about the curse they knew.

Ishizu seemed to understand what Ryou was implying, and he once again felt excited about the things he’d found out. “It might be something celestial, Ishizu! That's probably his weak point. And that's also the reason the curse is weakened at the moments between daybreak and nightfall.”

Ishizu nodded in agreement. “Indeed, that logic is sound. But how do you intend to use it?”

Bakura smirked at her and spoke in an amused tone. “Guess what? The genius thinks he could somehow extend the time the curse is weakened. Magically.” He made a mocking gesture copying someone wielding a magic wand that made Ishizu roll her eyes in annoyance.

“Extend the time...”

“Yes.” Ryou answered, ignoring Bakura's scorn. “I thought there must be a way to extend it but I have no clue how. I don't know any spells to freeze time or anything like it...”

Ishizu seemed almost lost in thought until her eyes widened and she jumped up from her seat to get to one of the shelves. She took a scroll, opened it and came back to lay it on the table. There were sketches of solar constellations and a text about astronomical phenomena.

“I know the reason the three of you have met.” They looked at her with unsure expressions so she continued. “A solar eclipse! Next month we have a solar eclipse! At that time, day and night will for once be the same.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Ryou finally shows his real powers :D

Ishizu and Ryou seemed really excited about the scroll that was spread almost over the whole table, while Bakura just looked confused. The two mages were chatting passionately about celestial events, magic and … more magic.

The scroll showed drawings of planets, something that looked like the moon, another thing that was obviously the sun, and long texts written next to the drawings.

Curious as always, Malik spread his wings and jumped right onto the table from the back of Bakura's chair. He examined the scroll for a moment before his lavender falcon eyes looked up to Ishizu and he cocked his head slightly.

Ishizu realized this was a questioning gesture and turned her gaze to Bakura, whose face displayed a hell of a lot of confusion.

“Oh I see. I guess we have to explain ourselves.”Ishizu chuckled. “A solar eclipse is an event that happens only once in decades when the sun, the moon, and the earth are aligned. It occurs when a portion of the earth is engulfed in a shadow cast by the moon, which partially — or in this case, fully — blocks sunlight.” She watched Bakura and waited for a response to see if he'd understood.

Bakura seemed to process the information for a moment before he spoke. “So... you’re telling me: the sun and the moon will be there at the same moment... and the moon is literally stealing the sunlight by casting a big shadow on us. Right?”

Ishizu was a bit confused, but she had to admit it was definitely one way to see the whole incident. “Yes, if you want to put it like that. It will become night for a few minutes, though it will be the middle of the day.”

Bakura nodded. “Alright. I mean... that sounds totally ridiculous and all, but it's the only thing we got so far and I guess I have to trust you. Or at least it seems at some point I...” he looked at Malik, “_we_, decided to trust Ryou in this. Let’s make a plan to kill that Akhenaden bastard!”

After Ishizu and Ryou explained the details of the solar eclipse and when it was supposed to happen, they had a simple dinner at Ishizu's table and discussed what would be necessary for their plan.

The hours went by, the sun went down outside the cave and Bakura started to get nervous. Though he was aware that Ryou and Ishizu knew about the transformations, he was clearly uncomfortable with anyone seeing it.

He left the cave before sunset with Malik on his shoulder, leaving Ryou and Ishizu alone.

Ishizu lit some new candles around them, as some had gone out. She also heated more water for another round of tea.

“Ryou. The solar eclipse will take place in a bit more than one month. Until then I have to train you in everything I know about dark magic and how to defeat it. It will probably be trying and exhausting, but time is running out.”

Ryou nodded in response. “Yes, I'm aware of that.” He fidgeted in his chair, feeling once again insecure about the responsibility that now weighed on him.

Ishizu's hand was placed on his shoulder and she spoke to him in a soft yet determined voice. “Ryou, I know you are still not sure that you are able to do all of this. But I saw it clearly in my visions. And I know what you are capable of. Please believe in your powers yourself, otherwise doubt will settle in your heart and you won’t be able to fight with the strength you need. Doubt can be as much a shadow over the light in your heart as the moon can be over the sunlight.”

Ryou wanted to respond with something but was interrupted by a familiar voice coming from the brightly grinning man at the entrance of the cave-room. “You should listen to her, Ryou. Even if _you_ don't, _I_ believe in your powers. You made the most stubborn and distrustful man on earth trust you with his life. If that isn’t magic, I don’t know what is.”

Ishizu raised her eyebrow at the young man standing in her entrance. “Malik, I presume?”

Malik walked casually to the table, took a seat next to Ryou, and snatched some of the berries and cheese that were scattered on the table from their dinner.

“Your presumption is right. And I might say it’s really more comfortable to sit on this table together with you in this form. I’m ready to do some planning.”

The cheese and the berries vanished into his mouth and Malik looked quite pleased and calm for someone ready to plan the raid of the home he was raised in.

“Well, I have to say, it’s also nicer for me to see you here in your human form.” Ishizu responded with a smile. Another figure appeared in the entrance of the room. This time it was the silver-white wolf walking silently until he stood next to Malik, who almost unconsciously started patting the animal.

Ishizu watched the scene, slightly amused and couldn’t hold back a comment directed at Bakura. “Though to be honest, I think I could get used to _you_ being in _this _form.”

Bakura bared his fangs at her and let out a deep growl that lasted until Malik’s hand landed between his ears and ruffled his fur, startling him.

“Don't be so rude, Bakura.” Malik chuckled. “Ishizu will help us. You could at least try to be a bit nicer to her.”

Bakura let out an annoyed huff, crossed his front legs and laid down, with his head on his fore-paws. Though he was clearly showing his annoyance, Ryou recognized the motion of Bakura’s bushy tail wagging slightly at Malik’s touch. The young mage smirked, but almost pitied the proud thief for his body betraying him so easily in this form.

Ishizu poured herself a fresh cup of tea and took the seat opposite fromMalik. For a moment, it seemed to Ryou that she was eying him almost absentmindedly, like she was remembering something from a long time ago.

Malik was still busy eating the remnants from their dinner when he spoke. “What are we going to do now? I mean, I don’t think we can just wait until this solar eclipse happens to walk in and just kill Akhenaden, right? He will still have power left.”

Ishizu blinked and then nodded. “Yes. I talked to Ryou and we agreed that he will need a lot of training in the coming weeks. I need to prepare him for his task.”

Ryou shifted slightly. “I will stay here with Ishizu. She has a lot to teach me before I can do something about a powerful being like Akhenaden. But you and Bakura, you have to do quite some preparation too. You have a lot of valuable information about the palace, I suppose?”

Malik's eyes darkened slightly. “Of course I do. I was raised there. And I was never allowed to leave that place, so all I could do was find out everything that could be known about the palace. Every door, and every secret passage. ”

“I see,” Ryou answered, “that's more than good for us. You and Bakura can make a plan to enter the palace without being recognized by the guards or Akhenaden's pawns.”

Ishizu agreed to Ryou´s spoken thoughts. “Surely you know how your father usually stores his items. We need at least one of them to fight Akhenaden. He will certainly fight with an item too, so we at least need one of them to block its power. It's similar to the plan the two of you made in the past. The difference is that now you know what Akhenaden is capable of and you have a powerful white mage on your side.”

At the last words Ishizu smiled at Ryou, who was blushing quite a bit.

Malik looked down at Bakura and grinned. “Alright. We will find a way to get that Rod father owns. He usually keeps it in a locked box, and I can tell Bakura where to find the keys. And we know how he can get into the palace without someone seeing him, it’s not like we didn’t plan it out before. I know everything about that place and Bakura is the king of thieves.”

He turned his face to Ryou again. “You have to train hard, Ryou. There will be no second chances, and I trust in you to defeat that monster.”

Ryou swallowed and nodded. “I will.”

Malik turned his gaze at Ishizu. His eyes lingered on the women in front of him and something in his expression was strange. It seemed he was searching for something in Ishizu's face. The woman downed the rest of her tea and didn´t seem to recognize the curious looks from her opposite. 

She stood and spoke again. “I will show you where you can sleep. It was a long day and it’s already late.”

Malik and Ryou stood to follow and the mage watched Malik, still eyeing Ishizu closely.

The blond man finally spoke up again. “Excuse me, Ishizu, but... is it possible that we know each other? I mean... I’m quite sure we never met, but still I … It’s just a feeling we’ve met before.”

Ishizu turned her gaze to the young man. Her smile was small and almost cryptic, as well as her answer.

“Not in this life.”

Then she just walked up, clearly not interested in explaining her answer.

The next day Bakura saddled Diabound again and Ishizu gave him food for the way back. Ryou stood next to them and softly stroked Diabound's fur.

Bakura turned to look at him after he was ready packing. Malik was sitting on his shoulder.

“Well. I guess that means we’ll be parting for some time. Malik and I will use our time to plan out our part together. And we will also tell Rishid everything we know. Maybe he can come up with some ideas that’ll help too.”

“Alright. And I promise I will do my best, Bakura.” Ryou still felt insecure, but he was determined to do everything possible to fight Akhnaden and end the curse. He’d made a promise to Bakura and Malik and he wouldn’t break it.

Bakura just let out one of his grunts. His gaze wandered around the woods that surrounded them and he stood silent, not moving in the slightest.

Ryou wondered a moment about that strange behavior until the realization hit him that Bakura probably just didn’t know how to say goodbye. A bright smile crossed Ryou's features. They had spent so many months together and, besides Rishid and Malik, Ryou was most likely the only human Bakura had really talked to in years.

The man might be grumpy and stoic, but by now Ryou knew that he had grown fond of him, somehow. Otherwise, there would be no way he would trust Ryou so much.

Without any further thoughts Ryou took a step forward and caught Bakura in an embrace, careful not to nudge Malik off Bakura´s shoulder.

The thief tensed immediately. His eyes widened in disbelief. “Ryou... what are you doing?!”

Ryou chuckled but didn't let him go. “Please be safe. Both of you. I will come to our cabin as soon as I can and then we will end this curse once and for all.”

Bakura let out a deep breath and Ryou was sure he would be pushed away any moment. But to his surprise, he felt Bakura's hand tap his back uncertainly. “I hope you will be safe too. Show that witch what you are made of.”

With that Bakura shoved Ryou away more forcefully then necessary and turned to get on Diabound’s back.

“I await you in less than a month, mage!”

Ishizu and Ryou watched the horse and his rider disappear into the depths of the woods. The women turned her gaze at Ryou with a smile.

“Now it´s time to start your training. We don´t have much time to waste.”

The training was hard.

Ishizu had given him all the scrolls and books she could find and considered useful. Ryou spent a few days reading as much as he could.

Then they started with the training.

At first, they practiced simple spells for breaking ordinary barriers, as well as dodging magical attacks. As the days went by the tasks got harder, the barriers more complicated, and the attacks more powerful. It turned out Ishizu was still a talented magician and knew a lot more tricks than Ryou had imagined. Though most of the things she used against him were mere illusions, they could still hurt him andwere realistic enough for Ryou to try his best.

An attack hit Ryou’s arm when he wasn’t prepared and send him falling right on his butt. He panted slightly and shook his head.

“I didn’t see that one coming.”

Ishizu narrowed her eyes on him. “Yes. I recognized that. But you have to be prepared, Ryou. Your opponent will not be as patient as me and won’t show any mercy for sure. Also, your magic is still wavering somehow. The power in you is there. I can clearly feel it, but it seems you have to struggle to concentrate it.”

Ryou got up from the ground and dusted his clothes off.

“It’s funny. I can clearly feel the magic flowing through me, but every time I try to shape it, it kinda slips away.”

“I see.” Ishizu thought a moment before she spoke again. “Maybe you need something to help you. Something to hold onto, that helps you channel the magic before you use it.”

Ryou blinked at her, but seemed to understand. “You mean like a magic wand?”

“Yes. Every mage is different. Some of us need nothing in particular to concentrate our powers, others use items to help them. It could be literally everything, but I think a wand is a good working item.”

She took a look around and gestured to the woods. “There are many great sources in these old woods. I´m sure you can find something to make yourself a great wand, and maybe you can use the crafting of it as an opportunity to rest.”

It really seemed to be a good option. At least he could try.

Ryou found some very good wood and some other materials and spent the next days building himself his own magic wand.

The moment he finished it, he loved it. The wand reached from the floor to right under his arm. The shaft grew wider near the tip ending in what looked for all the world like two flower petals cradling a broad circle. Out of the middle of said petals, the rest of the wand stuck out and ended in a broad loop. It was nicely worked, though made of plain, unremarkable wood he’d found in the nearby forest, but he was proud of it.

After he finished his wand they started training again and Isis’ words proved true; the wand indeed helped in channeling his magic. It still was far from perfect, but Ryou felt it was much easier now that he had something to hold on to.

The days went by and the time of the eclipse neared slowly.

Ishizu and Ryou still trained every day. She didn’t go easy on him any more. She attacked with much force every time, and Ryou had to struggle to keep up.

Their training was on a new level now and Ishizu managed to summon illusions of demons or other dark creatures he had to fight. Most of them were only made of shadow magic, but they were no less threatening and their attacks, even if not deadly, could be dangerous too. They could attack with their claws or even with magic of their own.

Ryou ran through their training grounds in the woods and dodged the magical attacks Ishizu's monsters sent at him. Panting, he hid behind a tree as another powerful spell came crashing right next to his head.

Just before claws could grab his robe, Ryou jumped and rolled to the side. Getting up again, he pointed his wand directly at the beast. He concentrated his magic into the wand and attacked, but Ishizu's monster managed to dodge.

The next moment he was surrounded by a strange fog. Everything around him went dark and he had struggle to see anything. He only heard Ishizu´s voice a few steps away.

“Ryou. You have to fight against the power of darkness. You have to overcome the darkness to win. Concentrate and summon your real powers!”

Ryou closed his eyes a moment. He had to summon his real power, he knew that. But how? He still felt like there was something holding him back.

When he opened his eyes again, the fog was surrounding him completely. He couldn't figure out where Ishizu or her pawns were. He just heard a threatening growl.

He got up from the ground, gripping his wand, and chanted a spell. A small light came from the tip, but still not enough to illuminate the darkness. One of the beasts hissed and jumped out of the fog. Ryou struck, and the screaming creature fell to the ground. Then Ishizu was attacking herself. He wasn't fast enough to react and the attack hit him hard and sent him straight into a tree.

He groaned and held his ribs where the attack had hit.

“Ryou!!! Stop trying anymore! Please. I know it´s in you!”

He heard Ishizu's voice through the dark fog and closed his eyes again.

“How? I don't know how to do it!” Ryou felt desperation rise in him. The darkness seemed to get under his skin, and he wasn't sure what to do.

Ishizu's voice sounded strict, but still held hope in it. “Look into your heart Ryou. You are much stronger than the darkness. Throw away all your doubts and finally become who you really are.”

He could clearly hear more of the shadow creatures closing in. Soon, Ryou was surrounded and all he could see were glowing red eyes staring at him like he was prey.

Ryou got away from the tree and straightened his position again. His fingers clenched around his wand and he closed his eyes. He focused on the magic dwelling inside of him. There was doubt in his heart, he knew that, but he tried to get over it. He thought about Malik and Bakura. About Akhenaden and what he’d done to them and to the kingdom. And suddenly he felt anger rise inside of him.

His wand started glowing, but now much brighter than before.

Ryou chanted a spell, and suddenly could feel the magic flowing freely inside of him. The creatures in the shadows seemed confused now, and started backing up.

The glow of the wand got even brighter, and now even Ryou’s robe started shining with a bright, pale light. He spread his arms, speaking the last words of his spell and suddenly a flash of light, an incredible magical power, burst out of the young mage.

The magic was a like a huge wave that rolled through the woods and illuminated everything around it. The fog vanished in an instant and the creatures dissolved with loud screeches, one after another.

Everything around Ryou was bathed in his light and the darkness was gone.

Then the magic faded slowly and Ryou sank on his knees exhausted. He felt for dizzy a moment and blinked up to see if Ishizu was still there.

The woman stood with her forearm blocking her eyes from the light. She took her arm down and smiled at the panting mage that now kneeled on the ground a few feet away from her. Ishizu approached him and held out her hand to help him up.

“I knew it. I think I’ve never seen such a powerful magic before.” she said, the happiness and excitement prominent in her voice.

Ryou still wavered a moment when he took her hand. But he felt light. As if something was freed in him. And he smiled back at Ishizu.

He wanted to answer her, but his eyes fell on his wand and he blinked at it, confused.

“It... has changed.”

Ishizu chuckled. “Of course. You have changed, and this is your magic wand. He was enveloped by your energy and that made him change too, a bit.” She cast her eyes down at Ryou’s robe as well. “Though I’ve never seen that happen to everything surrounding the spellcaster.”

Ryou blinked and looked down at his robes too. To his surprise, they indeed had also changed. Instead of a plain beige, they now shone a bright white, and there were shiny golden ornaments on it. His staff glinted a pale white-gold and looked like it was glowing just slightly.

“You truly are amazing Ryou. Or should I say _White Mage Ryou_.”

Ryou still looked confused and tried to process what had just happened. The moment Ishizu mentioned the title a shy smile rose in his features. “_White Mage Ryou_. I like that.”

Ishizu chuckled and took Ryou’s hand. “Come. You need a good rest, now.”

  
  


Soon there would be the time for the last battle.

  
  



	10. Chapter 10

There weren’t many days left before the solar eclipse.

Ishizu and Ryou had taken the time to train a bit more and most importantly give Ryou a proper rest to strengthen him as well as possible. They had also improved his new robes, adding a long, pointed hat, similar to a hood, which was white and adorned with golden ornaments.

It took about two days to get to the cabin, and they arrived on the morning of the day before the eclipse. The moment Ryou approached, he was greeted by a loud screech. He held up his arm and the familiar falcon landed on it, flapping his wings excitedly.

“Hello, Malik. I’m glad you seem to have healed enough to be able to fly again.” Ryou chuckled.

They reached the cabin and in front, they saw Rishid preparing food at the fireplace. 

He greeted them with a smile. “Ryou!”

“Hello, Rishid!”

Malik flapped his wings again and rose from Ryou’s arm to fly to the wooden pole in front of the cabin. The big man came and greeted Ryou with a warm hug before he examined him from head to toe.

“You look like a real mage.”

Ryou wanted to respond with something but was cut off by Bakura, who was standing in the door frame with a smirk.

“Did you really train your magical skills, or just spend your time dressing up in fancy clothes?”

The mage met Bakura’s smirk with a smile of his own. 

“Trust me, you will be impressed.”

Bakura took a few steps to approach Ryou. “I hope so.” With that he grabbed Ryou’s hat at the front and pulled it right down in his face with a cackle.

Ishizu rolled her eyes. Though, she had to admit that although the inevitable fight was in front of them, the fact that they were still in the mood to be childish with each other relieved her. 

She turned her attention to Rishid, standing next to her. “It is nice to meet you, Rishid.”

Rishid nodded. “You must be Lady Ishizu. Malik told me about you. It’s a honor to meet you.”

She smiled warmly at him. “Ryou told me about your collection of healing spells and scrolls. I’d like to see them if we get time.”

“Of course. But first, let’s have a meal together. I need more things to prepare now that the two of you have arrived here.”

She watched Ryou and Bakura, still teasing each other, and answered with a smirk. “I could help you with that. This way I don’t have to deal with the bickering of these idiots.”

Rishid chuckled and led her to the cabin.

The five of them spent the day telling each other about the last weeks and in the evening, they all sat at the fireplace and made their final plan.

Bakura and Malik had been busy as well. They had also trained more than usual, though it hadn’t been that easy to practice swordsmanship and the likes when their partner was either a wolf or a falcon. Plus, Rishid wasn’t very skilled in fighting.

Furthermore, they had made a detailed strategy on how to accomplish their goal. Malik always had been good with strategies, and he had everything and everyone’s role planned carefully. He had considered everyone’s skills and taken into account the things they had talked about the last time they were together in Ishizu’s cave, as well as some new ideas that had come to mind. After sunset, he took out the scrolls where he had sketched all his ideas and explained everything to everyone.

When everything was clear and they each knew what their task was, everyone fell silent after a while. Malik sat next to Bakura and gently stroked his white fur, watching him with a thoughtful expression.

“This may be your last night in this form, Bakura.”

Bakura made an agreeable barking sound and flipped his tail, which made Malik chuckle. “Don’t get me wrong. I wish for nothing more in the world than to hold you in my arms and kiss you again. But I might miss this too, from time to time.”

That earned Malik an unimpressed grunt from the wolf next to him.

Ryou giggled at that. “If you ask me, Bakura can be annoying and intimidating enough without claws and fangs. I'd appreciate it if he’d become a full human again.”

Eventually, Rishid was the first to stand up. “We should go to sleep. At least us humans. The next day will be exhausting.”

Ryou nodded in agreement, but he suddenly felt very anxious about everything. “You’re right. I hope I can find some sleep.”

Ishizu laid a soothing hand on his shoulder. “Don’t be afraid. I believe in you, Ryou.”

He sighed deeply. Never in his life had he been this nervous, even on days when he frequently had thoughts about everything that could happen and what might be the result if he failed. But there was no way back anymore. He had to believe in himself and in his friends. He wasn’t alone in this.

And he’d made a promise.

Morning came and none of them had slept very well.

Bakura sat in front of the cabin and seemed immersed in his thoughts when Ryou went outside.

The eclipse would start in the middle of the day. They only had to pack a few things, eat something and then they would head out to the city and the palace.

The journey happened rather silently. No-one was in the mood to speak much. Ryou walked next to Ishizu and Rishid, his wand in a firm grip, while Bakura rode on Diabound at a slow pace. Malik was in the sky, circling above them, sometimes flying high and darting down again. Ryou wondered if he was trying to enjoy what could be last time he was able to do this in his life. Or maybe it was just Malik’s way for relieving stress and dealing with his fears about the things that could happen.

When they had arrived just in front of the city, Ryou went to Bakura for the last preparation he’d come up with a few days ago.

“I will use a spell on you. It serves to protect you and also you will not be spotted as fast. It’s not like you are invisible, but it can trick other people so they won’t recognize you right away.”

Bakura blinked at him. Suddenly he was reminded of the day he had lost his family and his grandmother had chanted something and gestured in his direction right before she was killed. He’d always thought she might have had something to do with him getting out of Kul Elna without being seen by soldiers.

Ryou waved a hand in front of Bakura’s face. “Bakura? Is everything alright?”

Bakura shoved Ryou’s hand away and frowned. “Just do your magic hocus-pocus and let’s finally go to the palace.”

As a group, they would have attracted far too much attention, so they decided to split up and take different paths to the palace. Diabound would wait in a safe place outside of the city.

First, Rishid went alone, getting to the palace and hiding by one of the back entrances. He was there to help Bakura get inside and watch for inconvenient guards or other people that would complicate Bakura’s entrance.

Bakura and Malik then met in the rose gardens. Malik flew up to check the whereabouts of his father from above and found him in one of his working chambers, sitting at a table with a few scrolls. Making sure he didn’t attract any attention from the guards, he flew down to land on Bakura’s outstretched arm.

“You found him?”, Bakura asked, which the falcon answered with a flap of his wings. Now they just needed to wait for...there it was. Ryou had given Bakura a small stone with a rune on it before they’d split. He would give Bakura a sign when he and Ishizu arrived at the palace and were ready to enter.

Everything had to be perfectly timed. From this moment, he had about half an hour to fulfill his task.

The stone in Bakura’s hand started glowing, and he nodded. He placed it in one of his bags and gave Malik one last gentle stroke.

“Let’s end this.”

Malik spread his wings and rose into the air again. He circled the palace tower a moment before he vanished inside a window.

Lord Ishtar’s head snapped up and he flinched at the bird suddenly darting through his window and landing directly in front of him.

He blinked at it for just a moment before realizing what he was actually looking at.

“Oh. Look who’s there.” The bearded man examined Malik closely, obviously suspicious about the unforeseen visit. 

“It’s been more than three years now, son. What’s the purpose of your visit? Did you want to prove to me you were able to survive in this pitiful form? I really thought that hunter would finish you off.”

The words caused Malik’s heart to rebel in his chest, but he needed to pull himself together. This wasn’t his father anymore. This wasn’t the man who had raised him.

He might have never been a warm or lovely father and was always strict with Malik, but ever since Akhenaden took hold over him, he’d changed completely. Now he was just a pawn in the game of the dark priest, merely a shadow of himself, bitter and full of evil thoughts and hunger for power.

Malik bend his head slightly to show he’d come in peace. His intention was to make his father think he’d finally decided to come back again. This way, he hoped to stall for time for Ryou.

Plus, there still was a tiny chance they could get Lord Ishtar to work in their favor after all. So he had to play along, no matter how hurtful the encounter would get.

Lord Ishtar’s voice was cold, and a nasty grin spread across his face. “You didn’t think I’d do that, right? I have to admit, it was hurtful for me to lose you. My only heir. You brought a lot of shame to me with your disobedient behavior.” He leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “At first, I hoped you would realize your mistake and come back soon. But as the months passed and nothing happened, I gave up on you. Finally, after all these years, I decided it would be better for you to be dead.”

Malik was shocked at his father’s words. The cruel tone of Lord Ishtar’s words told him his father had actually thought himself merciful, sending someone to murder his son.He thought death would be a better option than living with a curse at his partner’s side. Malik’s heart ached.

“If I’d known that sending a hunter after you would bring you to your senses, I would have done this much sooner.”

Malik wanted to scream. He felt the deep urge to shriek into his father’s face how wrong he was. But he wasn’t able to do so in this form, and he had a task to fulfill.

So he shoved all of his pride away and bowed deeply at the table, wings spread to the side, hoping the little theatre would serve its purpose.

“Fine.” sounded the voice of his father as he stood. “Come to me, my son. We will go to the high priest and speak to him about your change of mind.”

Malik straightened his position, spread his wings and flew to land on the outstretched arm of his father, who welcomed him with a wicked smile.

Lord Ishtar turned to leave the room with the falcon right as one of the guards appeared suddenly in the doorframe.

“Lord Ishtar. The high priest wants you to come to the audience hall. Two mages have arrived at the palace. They’ve managed to get through the guards outside and are demanding to speak to you and the priest.”

The bearded man narrowed his eyes suspiciously and turned his glare toward his son. The falcon met his gaze with an unwavering expression. Then he walked past the guard without saying a word.

Meanwhile, Bakura had entered the palace. Malik had given him a plan of all the corridors he could use to get inside without being seen. Also, he had Ryou’s protecting spell which, as it turned out, made it much easier to move through the palace corridors.

Guards would cross his path from time to time and, though he always just managed to hide at the last minute, it didn’t seem like any of them truly recognized him. Like he was a shadow, not worth looking at.

He had to search a bit to find the room Malik had described, where the chest with the rod would be waiting.

It was a hidden chamber that no-one could ever find without specific knowledge about the palace. The chest was a metal, with a lot of golden ornaments and wrapped with a heavy golden chain sealed with a golden padlock

While planning everything out, they'd decided that searching for the keys beforehand would take too much time. So, the mages prepared a potion which should open any lock.

Bakura pulled out the little vial and held it up his face, murmuring, “You better work now.”

He pulled the cork out of the vial and poured the liquid over the padlock. A few seconds later, the metal began to melt and the lock just slipped down, ending in a puddle on the floor.

With a broad grin, Bakura grabbed the chest to open it.

The rod was lying inside on red fabric. It was made of gold, with a sphere on its top. The sphere itself was decorated with something that looked like two wings, one on each side. The item looked pretty, but clearly gave off a dark aura.

Bakura took it and made his way through the halls to meet his enemy.

It was much easier to get into the palace then Ryou had thought. They walked up to the front gate, where they were stopped by guards who demanded to know who they were and what their intention was.

Ryou simply told them they just wanted to talk with the Lord and the priest, which made the guards laugh out loud.

It simply took a bit of Ishizu’s illusionary magic to convince them to let the two mages pass. They did the same with the next few guards and finally encountered Captain Shada himself. He seemed amused at their show and decided it could be interesting to grant them their request. So, they were led into the audience hall by the Captain himself and three of his men.

Akhenaden was already waiting for them with an unimpressed expression on his face. “What gives you the right to intrude within our palace like this? What is it you demand?”

Ishizu only looked at him with a determined expression. “Is this how you greet old acquaintances, Priest Akhenaden?”

Akhenaden frowned and then seemed to recognize the woman standing in front of him. A wicked smile formed on his face. “Priestess Ishizu, right? It’s been quite a long time since I robbed you of your powers. Didn’t you have enough from our last encounter? I hope you don’t think you can beat me in any way, woman.”

“No. I don’t think that. But he can.” Ishizu’s gaze was unwavering and she gestured at Ryou next to her.

Akhenaden examined the boy and frowned. “Aren’t you that pitiful mage that turned our sheep green?”

“I’m not the same as before.” Ryou’s voice echoed through the hall, gentle as always but with a newfound self-confidence.

Still, the high priest seemed to be confused. “Is this a joke or something?”

The doors of the hall opened and Lord Ishtar stepped inside, the falcon perched on his arm.

Akhenaden had called for the Lord, but wasn’t prepared to find him with company like this. The Priest’s frown deepened and his eyes narrowed suspiciously. It was clearly visible in his face that he knew something was wrong.

His voice sounded unamused. “I see. The disobedient child also found its way back.”

He turned to look at the two mages in front of him again. “I doubt that this is merely a coincidence. Or should I really believe he came to his senses after three long years? Exactly on the day where an old enemy of mine arrives together with a self-appointed mage to face me?”

Lord Ishtar raised his voice. “High Priest. I don’t know what these people want, but it’s possible Malik really has come back to us. A few weeks ago, I sent a hunter after him. I thought he’d killed him — at least, the hunter told me so. Maybe my son came to his senses after that incident.”

Akhenaden looked at Lord Ishtar and at the falcon still placed on his arm.

“I’m not convinced of that. He very clearly demonstrated how stubborn he was. And I don’t believe in coincidences.”

“But he could have just followed them inside. Why should he...”

The conversation of the two men was cut off when Ryou spoke up again.

“Akhenaden. Maybe Malik harbors the wish to return home again. Don’t you think? But that’s not how it is for me. I am here to stop you and your reign of terror today.” He looked at Lord Ishtar. “My Lord. If you still value your empire and the life of your son, you have to cut ties with Priest Akhenaden. Please join forces with us and help us restore the country together.”

Lord Ishtar's expression was cold and unyielding. It was clear in his face that he had no intention of following Ryou’s suggestion.

“I don’t know who you are and what you think gives you the right to talk to me like that. And if my son intends to disobey me a second time,” he turned to look at the falcon, “then he will die. Together with you, and everyone who thinks they can get in my way.”

Ryou felt pity for the man in front of him. It was clear he’d given up on the right path long ago and was brainwashed by an evil power. He didn’t value anything anymore. Not the empire, no this own flesh and blood.

  
  


Priest Akhenaden’s hollow laughter filled the hall. He grabbed his item, the cursed ring hanging around his neck and almost spat out his words.

“I will show you my power and make you wish you’d never thought of coming here in the first place. After that, we will see if Malik decides to die with you, or finally join forces with us. Though to be honest, I’m almost disappointed he came here without...”

Exactly at that moment, a back door to the audience hall opened. Everyone in the hall turned to look at the figure, entering with a broad grin across his face and white hair shining so brightly as to almost rival the gold in his hands.

“Hello Priest. Lord Ishtar. Did you miss me?”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow... I can't believe the story is soon coming to its end. I hope you don't mind the cliffhanger here XD I thought I need a little break before the inevitable showdown.   
Pls feel free to leave comments and give kudos <3


	11. Chapter 11

While Lord Ishtar seemed to be quite startled at the entrance of the figure that turned out to be the thief from years ago, Priest Akhenaden looked rather annoyed.

He had also recognized the item in Bakura’s hand, causing a display of displeasure on his features.

Lord Ishtar couldn't react fast enough when the falcon on his arm started to flap his wings and rise up. The bird crossed the hall and landed on Bakura’s now outstretched arm.

Ryou gave Bakura a smile. Now that everyone had finally arrived, they just had to wait for the eclipse to start.

Ishizu began chanting a short spell and created a barrier around the hall so no other guards or soldiers could enter.

Priest Akhenaden's patience seemed to get even thinner.

“It doesn’t matter if you have one of the items. You still have no chance against me!” Again, he held up the ring in his hands. The item glowed with a dark light. The Priest stretched out his hand and sent a magic attack rushing toward Bakura.

Ryou’s yell sounded through the hall. “Bakura, the rod!”

Bakura seemed to understand immediately and held the rod directed at the magic attack, which stopped immediately.

Priest Akhenaden looked angry at the fact Bakura had actually managed to stop his attack. With a deep growl, he gathered more magical energy inside of him and now he himself was surrounded by the dark aura.

The moment he prepared for another attack, he froze in place. Obviously, he recognized something was off.

The dark glow surrounding him got weaker.

At the same time, the familiar golden glow enveloping the falcon got much stronger.

Before the priest could realize what had happened, Malik appeared in his human form right next to Bakura.

The sun seemed to slowly slip away as the hall grew darker and darker.

Malik looked amazedly at his hands before his eyes met the ones of Bakura, who happily grinned at him. “Welcome back, partner.”

Malik smiled and took Bakura’s hand in his.

They stood side by side and hand in hand, facing their enemies.

“How are you doing this?!” the Priest yelled angrily in Ryou’s direction.

Ryou's gaze did not falter as he answered. “I told you, it’s over.”

An angry yell coming from the Priest filled the hall. The dark aura was back, and it seemed to take him a lot of energy to gather the last of his powers, which were still frightening.

His voice sounded almost like a growl, the words dripping out like venom as he faced the cursed lovers.

“I will cast a spell on you once again. I will turn you both back into the beasts you were. Then I will use the power of this rod to make you shred your partner between your fangs. After that, I will watch you live with the knowledge you murdered the only person left on earth that you love.”

A magic attack coming from Ryou and his outstretched wand hit the Priest on his arm and he shrieked in pain.

Finally snapping out of his stupor, Lord Ishtar yelled a command at Captain Shada and his men.

“Go and get these traitors!”

Bakura handed the rod to Malik and pulled his sword.

“I think you are better with things like that. I’d rather trust in my blade.”

Bakura and Malik were immediately surrounded by the soldiers, and Shada himself was the first to attack Bakura. They fought blade against blade.

The three other soldiers now faced Malik. They were holding their own swords up ready to attack him. He didn’t have a weapon of his own, only the rod. Something in the back of his mind clicked as he remembered the words of the Priest a few minutes ago. 

“_Then I will use the power of this rod to make you shred your partner between your fangs.”_

He looked down the item in his hand and the as the soldiers moved to attack he held it up against them, concentrating on what he wanted the rod to do, and yelled “I command you to stop!”

And they froze.

Bakura and Shada both stopped too, looking confused at the soldiers.

Shada growled and moved to attack with his sword again, but Malik held the rod in his direction and yelled the command once more.

Shada froze, just like the other soldiers before him. Bakura blinked at the scene and then turned to his partner.

“Oh gods, I love you.“ He gave him a peck on his lips before turning to the soldiers again.

Malik smiled and shrugged, then he decided to try a bit more. “Now throw your swords to the ground.”

Shada and his men did what they were told. A mischievous grin formed on Malik’s face as he held the rod up to take another look at it. “This is very interesting.”

Meanwhile Akhenaden had started to fight Ryou with the rest of his powers.

It was a magical fight on a high level, and Ishizu watched it all with a concerned expression. She couldn’t interfere asit had taken all of her strength to use her illusions and hold up the barrier around the hall.

They needed to kill the Priest while the eclipse lasted. It was their last chance.

Akhenaden had his difficulties fighting the young mage and got more angry and impatient with every second. As the last attack hit him he let out an angry growl before he yelled at his opponent. “Enough! I have had enough of this charade. Die, you pitiful humans!”

The aura around the Priest changed again, and Ryou froze in place at the sight presented to him.

Malik and Bakura were circling the soldiers that seemed almost lifeless when Lord Ishtar approached them, his own sword now in hand.

His merciless gaze pierced Malik as he spoke. “I told you. If you disobey again, you die.”

He took a few steps forward. Malik’s hand on the rod was now clearly shaking.

“Father. Don’t do this. I never wanted to harm you.”

Lord Ishtar laughed. It was an ugly sound, hollow and unhappy.

“You could still side with us, Malik. Everything could be yours. If you are willing to follow Priest Akhenaden, you can become the greatest King in history. Everyone would lie at your feet.”

Malik shook his head, his golden bangs framing his face moving slightly with the motion. And his eyes gleamed with determination.

“I’d rather live a whole life as a falcon by Bakura’s side than as a king under that false Priest’s control.”

“Then die.” Lord Ishtar rose his blade and came running at his son. Malik closed his eyes and held the rod up against his father.

The man immediately froze in his movement, a shocked expression on his face.

Before Malik had decided what to do with his father, a loud roar shook the walls of the hall. Bakura and Malik whirled around in shock just to see Akhenaden transforming somehow.

The eyes of the Priest were glowing bright red, and the aura surrounding him grew even darker.

Energy seemed to explode out of his body, which now really began to transform in a bizarre way. One moment there was a Priest standing in the hall, the next it was a _monster_.

He was a demon with glowing red eyes, his skin dark as the night and spiked wings on his back. Horns rose from his head, curled in spirals like those of a ram.

The monster had a long, dragon-like tail, and between his legs wasa bizarre looking appendage which almost seemed like another monster, a dragon of its own.

Against the big monster, Ryou looked tiny. He swallowed thickly, his eyes wide.

Ryou took a look around the room.

He watched his friends. They were all here and had done their best to help him.

He’d made a promise. He would keep it.

Ryou’s expression grew determined again as he rose his wand and faced the demon, locking out the fear in his heart.

“So this is your real form? You are uglier than I’d ever expected.”

The monster roared loudly and went to grab him with huge claws but Ryou jumped aside.

He realized the beast still had not much magical power left. The solar eclipse must be almost at its peak. Ryou had to strike now, with everything he had left.

“I AM ZORC. Zorc Necrophades.” the voice of the demon hammered deep intoRyou’s skull. “I will kill you. And I will kill your friends and everyone you know. I have gathered enough power. As soon as this ends, I won’t need pitiful humans anymore. I will rule the empire myself and after that, the whole world.”

The demon turned to look in Malik and Bakura’s direction. Ryou wanted to attack the beast, but wasn’t fast enough.

Zorc whipped his tail and hit Lord Ishtar directly, sending him into the wall behind him.

Malik flinched. He saw the lifeless body of his father on the ground and stood frozen with his mouth open. The moment the demon lashed out with his tail again, Bakura grabbed his lover’s wrist, pulled him away and slumped down with Malik in his arms, shielding him from the attack.

“Zorc!”

Ryou's voice echoed through the hall, making the demon look at him again.

“Stop this! I am your opponent. And this is your end!”

Ryou had concentrated and already gathered enough magical energy in his body for his last strike.

He rose his wand over his head with both hands and was now surrounded by a bright glow. The light shining from his body and robes split the darkness and illuminated the whole hall more than the sun ever would.

Zorc stepped in front of the mage, baring his teeth, his eyes glowing red in anger. Ryou closed his eyes and let the magic flow through him freely.

Everyone looked on in awe as his feet started to rise from the floor, his body floating into the air. When he opened his eyes again they also seemed to glow in a brilliant green.

He came to a halt, floating at eye level with the demon.

Ryou spoke one last chant and wielded his wand in Zorc's direction.

The eyes of the demon grew wide the moment he saw the attack coming. A wave of light hit him directly in the face. Zorc let out a high pitched screech of agony before his whole body shook and burst into thousands of pieces that vanished the moment they fell on the ground.

Everything was silent.

The only thing that could be heard was the sound of Ryou’s body hitting the floor. He floated down, but the moment his feet touched the ground again, he collapsed from exhaustion.

Ishizu sprinted up to him to check if he was okay and smiled as she noted he was just unconscious.

Malik and Bakura watched the scene with amazement, still lying entangled on the floor.

They got up again and dusted their clothes off. Malik turned to look at the lifeless figure in front of the wall with a bitter expression.

Bakura laid a soothing hand on his shoulder, though Malik shook his head. “It’s okay. He stopped being my father a long time ago. I guess he chose this fate for himself.”

The hall was filled with light again, this time coming from the window. The eclipse had ended and the sun’s rays slowly fell inside, illuminating everything in the big room.

Malik watched the light falling inside and raised his hands in front of his eyes in panic. He looked down on his body for a few more seconds just to realize nothing would happen.

He turned his lavender gaze at Bakura who stood next to him, also realizing what that meant.

“Bakura.”

Malik almost jumped into Bakura’s arms, who caught him into a tight hug.

They stood like that for a few moments longer until they broke the embrace. Bakura’s hands came up to gently touch Malik’s face, his fingers trailing from Malik’s high cheekbones to his full lips.

His eyes stung with tears and his voice sounded hoarse. “You are so beautiful. And I am able to touch you.”

Malik’s eyes teared up as well, though a bright smile crossed his face that filled the whole of Bakura’s vision. 

“I love you.” With that he closed the distance between them and planted a kiss on Bakura’s waiting lips. The kiss was gentle and soft and soon they alternated between kissing softly and touching each other as much as they could.

Ishizu watched the lovers with a smile when a quiet, thin voice picked her attention.

“Seems we actually won.”

Ryou lay on the floor with his head tilted in the direction of the two kissing lovers. The scene melted his heart and though he felt exhausted, he’dnever been more happy.

“Yes. You saved everyone, Ryou.” Ishizu’s voice was gentle, but also clearly proud.

“Good.” Ryou responded, while his eyes fell shut again.

The mage fell into a deep, exhausted, dreamless sleep.

Ryou awoke in a soft bed, placed in a nicely decorated chamber. The morning sun fell through the big windows and he had to blink a few times to adjust to the light.

For a moment, he felt confused about his whereabouts, but suddenly remembered everything that had happened. The others must have brought him to one of the chambers after he’d fallen unconscious.

He sat up with a yawn and rolled out of the comfortable bed to get dressed.

The halls were big, and Ryou wondered where the rest of the group was.

A nice smell struck his nose and he decided to follow it. Ryou wondered how long he might have slept. When he looked outside a window and tried to find out the position of the sun, he figured it still must be morning. A screech startled him, belonging to a falcon floating in the air directly in front of the window.

He blinked for a moment and then smiled at the bird, realizing it must be one of the court’s falcons.

Ryou entered a room that turned out to be a kitchen and found Rishid there, preparing some eggs and other ingredients in a pan on a stove.

Ryou smiled at the sight of the gentle giant. “Good morning, Rishid.”

Rishid turned to face him with an equal smile. “Good morning, Ryou. I’m preparing some breakfast for all of us. But it will still take some time. If you look outside in the gardens, I’m sure you’ll find the others.”

Ryou nodded and followed the suggestion.

It didn't take him long to find Bakura standing in front of one of the rose beds with a foreign expression on his face. It seems he was watching something in the sky, though Ryou didn’t really pay attention to what it was.

Ryou approached him with a few steps.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” came the simple answer from the white-haired man.

Silence lasted for a few moments between them until Bakura decided to break it. “Think you’verecovered? You slept almost two days.”

Ryou thought for a moment. “Hmm... Yes. I feel quite good. Maybe a bit hungry. No, that’s not quite true, I’m actually starving.”

Again, they went silent and Ryou started to feel awkward. He wondered how he could possibly lighten the mood and started to speak.

“Bakura...”

But he was interrupted by the other’s calm, deep voice.

“Thank you.”

The words were spoken so softlyRyou almost thought he misheard.

Bakura now turned his gaze to him and repeated the words loudly enough that Ryou could hear him clearly. “Thank you, Ryou. For everything.”

Ryou felt his heart beat faster and tears stung in his eyes. He lacked a proper response and just flung himself around the startled Bakura.

The embrace lasted a few moments before Bakura’s annoyed grunt cut them off. “Ryou, could you please stop doing that?”

Ryou chuckled, relieved everything seemed to be back to as it always was between them.

He let Bakura out of his grip and wiped tears from his eyes with the back of his hand.

“We did it, Bakura.” Suddenly a thought crossed his mind that made him feel guilty all of a sudden. He examined Bakura’s features closely while he spoke again. “But... I’m sorry. I guess I robbed you of your chance to kill Akhenaden yourself and get your revenge.”

Bakura stood still for a moment, looking into the distance with an uncertain expression. Then he turned back to Ryou, his gaze unwavering but with no regret in it.

“Doesn’t matter anymore. His death didn’t bring my family back, no matter who killed him. At least we are free and have the chance to put things right again.”

Ryou nodded in response.

“And at least I got the chance to kick that bastard Shada’s ass.” Suddenly Bakura’s trademark grin was back on his face and Ryou felt more than relieved.

He took a look around the rose gardens and remembered the story Bakura had told him back then, about how he and Malik had met here. “Where is Malik?”

Bakura chuckled and gestured to a small pathway which led to a place right behind the gardens.

“You will find him in the royal falconry. Said he had something important to do. I have a few guesses at what he meant with that, especially after seeing so many birds flying away this past half hour.”

Ryou was confused but decided to take a look himself.

He walked in the direction Bakura had showed him and found the end of the rose gardens. Behind it was the falconry Bakura had mentioned. Therewere cages and various wooden poles where the birds could sit on — if there were any birds. Each of the poles had a chain, which now hung loosely down.

Ryou didn’t need to search. He saw Malik standing in front of a pole, speaking to what seemed to be the last of the birds as he released the chain from its leg.

Malik now wore robes much brighter than usual. His clothes were decorated with nice ornaments and Ryou recognized a tiara sitting on his forehead.

If he’d thought Malik to be pretty before, he now looked simply stunning. The blond truly looked like the prince he was supposed to be.

Ryou approached him with a smile.

“Hello Malik.”

Malik turned to look at him and mirrored the smile as he recognized his visitor.

“Hey Ryou.”

He turned back to the falcon on the pole and let it jump onto his wrist. He raised his arm and made a tossing gesture with his wrist to get the bird to rise in the air.

The falcon spread its wings and flew. Malik watched the beautiful creature with a smile and returned his attention to Ryou.

Ryou watched the falcon fly away as well, then blinked at Malik. “You released them.”

Malik grinned. “Of course. They shouldn’t be caged in here anymore. If they want to come back, they should do so freely.”

Ryou nodded. He understood.

“What will you do now? Will you stay?”

Malik started to walk outside the falconry again and headed to the rose gardens. “I think it’s my duty to do so for a while. But I don’t intend to stay here forever. We have to sort out how to fix everything my father and the priest messed up. And we have to start negotiations with the neighboring kingdom and explain some things. After that... who knows,” he shrugged.

“And Bakura?” Ryou asked further, “what about him?”

“He will stay with me. And Ishizu will stay too, to help us.” Malik glanced over to Ryou. “And, if the great _White Mage _wishes to, we would be honored if he would agree to stay with us as well.”

Ryou faced Malik with a bright smile crossing his features. “He would definitely feel honored to do so.”

Malik mirrored the expression. “Good.”

They reached the rose garden again and Bakura approached them. As soon as he was close enough he grabbed Malik by his robes and pulled him in. Malik chuckled and held Bakura’s arm with one hand. The other hand rose up to gently stroke Bakura’s bangs aside.

Bakura closed the distance and planted a soft kiss on Malik’s lips.

Ryou watched them with a smirk, then searched for something else to look at so he wouldn’t be caught staring.

“Still don't have enough of me, after we were up almost the whole night?” Malik’s voice sounded smooth and almost like a purr.

“Never.” Bakura answered. “I’m still afraid at any moment you could slip through my fingers and rise into the sky.”

Malik’s expression turned affectionate. “That will never happen again.”

They almost got lost in the moment had a slight cough not shaken them out of it.

“I... think I will go to the kitchen and look if breakfast is ready.” Ryou waved his hand and went to leave the gardens.

Malik chuckled, because he still found it funny how easily flustered the mage could get from time to time.

Bakura raised his head and looked up as the screech of a falcon, flying into his newly found freedom sounded, above them.

The End

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who read this story! It took me over a year to write this and I'm happy I really managed to finish it. 
> 
> Also thanks again to [dog_fish](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dog_fish/pseuds/mouthfulofbees) for editing the whole thing. 
> 
> There will be an epilogue, but due to health reasons I could'd finish it in time, so please be patient. But I will write it for sure.


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